Keir Starmer says security and defence 'first duty' of new UK government

Labour leader says Britain's support of Nato is 'unshakeable'

Security and defence will be the “first duty” of Britain's new Labour government, Keir Starmer said, as he stressed the country's “unshakeable support of Nato”.

At his first press conference in Downing Street since becoming Prime Minister, Mr Starmer said he had spoken to several world leaders since taking office and would travel to Washington for the Nato summit on Tuesday.

He said: “It is for me to be absolutely clear that the first duty of my government is security and defence, to make clear our unshakable support of Nato.

“And of course to reiterate, as I did to [Ukrainian] President Zelenskyy yesterday, the support that we will have in this country and with our allies towards Ukraine.”

He made no further mention of foreign policy, including Gaza, in his remarks.

On domestic issues, he said the Rwanda deportation scheme, which he has scrapped, “has never been a deterrent” to illegal migration.

“Look at the numbers that have come over in the first six and a bit months of this year, they are record numbers, that is the problem that we are inheriting,” he added.

He said “self-interest” was “yesterday's politics” and that he was “restless for change” but it would take time.

“We have got plans in place. I did not want to get ahead of the election result but we have been planning for months to hit the ground running,” said the Prime Minister, who will embark on a tour of the four UK nations on Sunday.

He said he would approach the challenges with “raw honesty” but insisted that was “not a sort of prelude to saying there's some tax decision that we didn't speak about before”.

Mr Starmer earlier held his first Cabinet meeting. Among those attending were Britain's first female Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Foreign Secretary David Lammy.

The MPs in the new Labour cabinet – in pictures

He told members it had been “the honour and the privilege of my life” to be invited by King Charles III to form the government after sweeping to victory in Thursday's general election.

“We have a huge amount to do, so now we get on with our work,” said Mr Starmer.

The Prime Minister's calls with world leaders included a conversation with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.

A No 10 Downing Street spokeswoman said the two leaders had discussed the prospect of a free-trade agreement, among other issues.

She said: “Discussing the free-trade agreement, the Prime Minister said he stood ready to conclude a deal that worked for both sides. The leaders hoped to meet at the earliest opportunity.”

Mr Starmer also spoke to the Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida, about global challenges, including the Middle East and Ukraine.

Gaza

The issue of Gaza proved contentious for Mr Starmer throughout the election campaign, after he was heavily criticised for saying early in the war that Israel had the right to cut off food and power to the Palestinian enclave.

He later backed down on the comments but his party's approach resulted in an erosion of support in Muslim communities in the election, leading to the loss of several safe Labour seats.

“The time has come for the United Kingdom to reconnect with the outside world,” Mr Lammy said from Germany on his first international trip.

“I want to get back to a balanced position on Israel and Gaza. We've been very clear that we want to see a ceasefire … we want to see those [Israeli] hostages out.

“The fighting has to stop, the aid has got to get in and I will use all diplomatic efforts to ensure that we get to that ceasefire.”

On Saturday, Labour’s Margaret Beckett said she was “angry” and “sad” after the defeat of some candidates because of the party's stance on Gaza.

The former foreign secretary told BBC World Service's Weekend programme: “I could despair at hearing well-meaning people talking such nonsense about how 'to help the people in Gaza, I will do X, Y and Z', when it will make not a scrap, not an atom of difference to any individual in Gaza – or indeed to the pursuit of peace in Gaza.

“It makes me angry, actually, not just sad, to hear nonsense talked and then well-meaning people make silly mistakes and put somebody in place who will have no effect at all, in place of somebody who could be a very effective actor in the pursuit of peace.”

There was also a pro-Palestine march in central London on Saturday.