All posts tagged: John Healey

Britain and Nato are pulling away from Trump’s America – to save it from itself

Britain and Nato are pulling away from Trump’s America – to save it from itself

Published by Sam Flores

Just a day after Donald Trump floated the idea of turning the Strait of Hormuz into a “joint” tollbooth to enrich the US and Iran, the British government revealed that a joint operation with Norway had been undertaken to protect Nato’s northern flank. The move, combined with a visit this week by Keir Starmer to the Arabian Gulf, is the latest sign that even Europe’s Anglo-Saxons are pulling away from Washington. The UK and its allies are determined to defend the alliances and principles of international law that the US president and his deputy are keen to destroy. John Healey, the defence secretary, revealed that a British frigate and spy planes had been involved in monitoring two Russian spy submarines and an attack sub as they surveyed undersea cables and pipelines in the High North, the strategically vital region encompassing the Arctic Circle and the North Atlantic. Healey made it clear that Russia had taken the opportunity, as the focus shifted to the Middle East following Trump and Israel’s illegal attacks on Iran, to continue …

Swinney says UK Government security briefing cancelled over lack of ‘babysitter’

Swinney says UK Government security briefing cancelled over lack of ‘babysitter’

Published by Sam Flores

Hitting out at the “unjust and unjustified conflict which is taking place in the Middle East”, Mr Swinney told MSPs during First Minister’s Questions: “If I was to prevent flights from entering Scotland by the appropriate steps that would be necessary, I would need to exercise national security, aviation, air transport, defence and foreign affairs powers. Source link

UK’s Reeves spooks MPs with hunt for defense cash – POLITICO

UK’s Reeves spooks MPs with hunt for defense cash – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

However, it is not clear which element of the welfare budget might be singled out. Keir Starmer’s government was forced into a major climbdown last year after facing a revolt over plans to reduce the cost of disability benefits, and is currently attempting to draw up alternative reforms. The investment plan is now effectively “on hold” until the Treasury finds new sources of revenue, two people working on the DIP said. No. 10 Downing Street and the U.K. Treasury declined to comment. The defense industry has been warning for months of the damage caused to businesses by the failure to publish the DIP, which was originally scheduled for last fall. Asked about it Monday, Defence Secretary John Healey failed to give assurances that the document would be published before the pre-election “purdah” period, meaning it would not come until May. Separately, Starmer has stressed that the U.K. needs to go “faster” on overall defense spending, raising the expectation that Reeves will need to hunt for additional billions during this parliament. John Bew, an academic and …

Farage heads to Mar-a-Lago as Starmer-Trump relations plummet – POLITICO

Farage heads to Mar-a-Lago as Starmer-Trump relations plummet – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“President Trump has almost understood the deal — almost — but I will be dining at Mar-a-Lago tomorrow night and will reinforce the message, it was the worst deal in history,” Farage told a “Save Chagos” boat party in London on Thursday night. An itinerary for Farage’s visit has not been made public by his party, and it was not immediately clear who he would be dining with. Farage will be hoping to get face time with senior officials if not with Trump himself. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It comes in the week Starmer has felt the president’s fury over both war in Iran and the Chagos Islands agreement. The president belittled Starmer as being “no Winston Churchill” after the U.K. initially blocked the U.S. from striking Iran from some British bases.  Trump has also expressed his anger at the deal to hand sovereignty of the Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius. Starmer argues his lease-back deal is the only way to secure the U.K.-U.S. military base on …

How to topple the British prime minister in 5 easy steps – POLITICO

How to topple the British prime minister in 5 easy steps – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

They must win the support of 5 percent of Labour’s constituency parties, or at least three of the party’s formal “affiliate” bodies including two trade unions. This is not always a formality, as Emily Thornberry — now chair of the Commons’ foreign affairs committee — discovered when she failed to reach the local party threshold when running against Starmer in 2020. Two of the four officials noted above suggested that Wes Streeting — despite being widely seen as a frontrunner — could struggle during this stage, as many unions and constituency parties regard his politics as not left-wing enough. A third official said this was inaccurate, given there has been an exodus of left-wing members from the party. Step 5: Go to the party Whoever pulls through the initial stages — probably three candidates at the most — will go through to a final vote of Labour’s members. The result is difficult to predict, as many of the most left-wing members who joined under Jeremy Corbyn in the late 2010s have exited the party. In …

NATO allies fire back at Trump for dismissing sacrifices in Afghan war – POLITICO

NATO allies fire back at Trump for dismissing sacrifices in Afghan war – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“Wrong and without respect” is how Norway’s Defense Minister Tore O. Sandvik described Trump’s comments. “All fallen soldiers, their families and veterans deserve to be spoken about with respect,” Sandvik told local media, adding that he fully understood why veterans and relatives were angered by Trump’s words. More than 10,000 Norwegian troops served in Afghanistan and 10 were killed, he noted. Denmark’s ambassador to the United States, Jesper Møller Sørensen, said Danish forces fought “on the front line” in Helmand province in the Afghan war and suffered one of the highest per-capita casualty rates among NATO allies. “That was solidarity,” Sørensen wrote in a post on X. “We stood with America then — and we still do.” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk recalled attending a farewell ceremony in Ghazni in 2011 for five fallen Polish soldiers. “The American officers who accompanied me then told me that America would never forget the Polish heroes,” he wrote on X, adding: “Perhaps they will remind President Trump of that fact.” “That’s false,” said Dutch Foreign Minister David van …