Sir Keir Starmer has said the UK’s nuclear deterrent is the “bedrock” of his plan to keep Britain safe.

If elected, the Labour leader plans for his party to prioritise defence procurement to strengthen UK security and economic growth, with an aim to direct British defence investment to British business first, with a higher bar set for any decision to buy abroad.

It comes as Sir Keir confirmed his ambition was to boost the defence budget to 2.5% of GDP, if it fits with Labour’s fiscal rules, according to an interview with the i newspaper.

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He made the announcement during a trip to a shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, to see nuclear submarines being built – the first visit of its kind by a Labour leader in more than 30 years.

The Labour leader told ITV: “The only way to have a safer world is to have an effective deterrent. The nuclear deterrent has been effective now for decades.

“It’s the single most important part of our armoury to protect our country, and that’s why I’m so committed to it.

“And it’s important that we see this as a long-term project because not only do we need the deterrence today, but we need… continued deterrence as we go forward.

“I do want to save the world but it is important to appreciate that deterrence and safety go together, they are two sides of the same coin.”

The Labour leader also affirmed the party’s commitment to the Aukus security pact and will pledge that the submarines should be built in Barrow “for decades to come”.

During the visit, Sir Keir spoke to workers, union members and apprentices from the shipyard, alongside shadow defence secretary, John Healey, and Australian high commissioner to the UK Stephen Smith.

The party is set to campaign on its commitment to the nuclear deterrent in key communities in the nuclear supply chain, including: Plymouth Moor View, home to the Devonport shipyard; Filton and Bradley Stoke, home of Abbey Wood; and Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber, home to HMNB Clyde.

‘Attempted distraction’ and ‘grotesque’ visit

Reacting to Sir Keir’s shipyard visit, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps claimed the trip was an “attempted distraction” from the “scandal” surrounding Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, who is continuing to face questions over her living arrangements and tax affairs before she became an MP.

He said Sir Keir and Mr Healey, “tried twice to put Jeremy Corbyn in charge of the nation’s armed forces”.

Referring to David Lammy, he said Labour’s shadow foreign secretary “even voted repeatedly to scrap Trident”.

“They are not the party to be trusted with our nation’s defences,” he added.

The SNP, which opposes having a nuclear deterrent in the UK, also criticised the visit as “grotesque” and accused Labour of throwing “billions more down the drain”.

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The party’s defence spokesperson Martin Docherty-Hughes said: “Westminster has already wasted billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money on nuclear weapons and expensive nuclear energy.

“It is therefore grotesque that Sir Keir Starmer is prepared to throw billions more down the drain when his party claim there is no money to improve our NHS, help families with the cost of living or to properly invest in our green energy future.”