New Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has condemned a Russian warship's live-fire exercise off the coast of Plymouth as "performative and irresponsible". The incident occurred 40 nautical miles (46 miles) from Plymouth on Monday, the same day Sir Keir Starmer became Prime Minister.
Royal Navy tracking vessel
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said the Royal Navy "continues to track the vessel's activity closely, and stands ready to protect UK national security". Mr Streeting made his comments as he welcomed defence ministers from Japan, Italy and Canada to London for talks on the Global Combat Air Programme, a pact to develop a new generation of fighter jets.
He told reporters: "We should see yesterday's events as performative and irresponsible. It's not the first time that Russia has behaved like this, and frankly, it's the tip of the iceberg of the daily threats that this country faces and our allies face."
Warning to Russia
Mr Streeting added: "Russia should be in no doubt about the resolve of this Government and this Prime Minister, our resolve to stand against Russian aggression in Ukraine, but also Russian aggression against all of our allies."
The Russian ship informed HMS Tyne of its intention to conduct gunnery activity before firing. It asked the Royal Navy vessel to move to a safer distance, which HMS Tyne did, then the Russian ship began its 30-minute exercise in international waters.
Reactions from former military and opposition
Lord Dannatt, chief of the British Army's general staff from 2006 to 2009, told Times Radio the activity was another "illustration of the aggressive instinct" shown by Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said Mr Putin "wants to demonstrate that Russia's got muscles that it can flex and it's not entirely by happenstance that that Russian warship chose to carry out a live-fire exercise on the same day that [Sir Keir Starmer] became prime minister".
Lord Dannatt continued: "This is an indication from the Kremlin that 'we're here and we're powerful, we're strong, and what are you going to do about it?' So it's a challenge."
Shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge said he knows only "a very sketchy amount" about the exercise but "in principle, obviously (it's) very concerning" and "typical bravado from Putin". Speaking on Times Radio, the Conservative frontbencher warned there was "very obviously a lack of surface ships for the Royal Navy" and said: "More surface ships, more frigates in our shores, would send a very powerful signal to Putin that we're not going to tolerate this sort of behaviour."
Defence spending questions
Mr Streeting faced questions about defence spending at the press conference. He said Ministry of Defence leaders have "a firm friend in His Majesty's Treasury", where former defence secretary John Healey is the new Chancellor. "I think the Prime Minister has been clear and will continue to do so that this is a country under his leadership that honours our commitments to our international allies and partners," Mr Streeting said. "He recognises both the challenge of current threats this country faces but also the evolving nature of those threats and the need to invest in defence."
