Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to defend the UK using nuclear weapons if necessary, as part of Labour’s new defence strategy.

Emphasizing that “security will always come first,” he distanced his party from Jeremy Corbyn’s opposition to the Trident nuclear weapons system.

If elected, Starmer plans to increase defence spending and update the UK’s nuclear arsenal.

Conservative defence secretary Grant Shapps criticized Labour as a threat to national security, labeling their nuclear deterrent commitment “meaningless” due to past opposition from key Labour figures, the BBC reported.

In 2016, Labour was divided on renewing Trident, but Starmer asserted that his current shadow cabinet supports maintaining the nuclear deterrent.

Written by B.C. Begley