Watch: Starmer delivers defence speech ahead of campaign visit to veterans

Watch as Sir Keir Starmer spoke to pitch Labour as the “party of national security” as he sought to draw attention to defence matters during the general election campaign on Monday, 3 June.

The Labour leader is expected to meet with forces veterans and party candidates when he campaigns in north west England.

He is expected to reaffirm his pledge of a “nuclear deterrent triple lock” and a proposal to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP).

Rishi Sunak has said that he wants to meet the 2.5 per cent target by 2030 although the opposition party has not outlines its timeline, only clarifying that they will do so when economic conditions allow.

The nuclear deterrent triple lock involves a commitment to construct the four new nuclear submarines in Barrow-in-Furness, maintaining Britain’s continuous at-sea deterrent, and the delivery of all future upgrades needed for the submarines to patrol the waters, Labour said.