Britain must be ready to fight and win a war against states with advanced military forces, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said as his government announced a 1.5 billion-pound ($2.0 billion) plan to build at least six new weapons and explosives factories.
Starmer's warning came a day before he publishes a major review of Britain's military capabilities. The UK and countries across Europe are rapidly trying to boost their defense industries after US President Donald Trump said the continent had to take more responsibility for its own security.
"We are being directly threatened by states with advanced military forces, so we must be ready to fight and win," Starmer wrote in an article for The Sun on Sunday newspaper, citing as examples Russia's invasion of Ukraine and its co-operation with Iran and North Korea.