John Healey has been speaking this afternoon at the E5 meeting (France, Germany, Italy, Poland, United Kingdom) in Woolwich. He said the UK will help with the response to the Russian drone incursion in Poland…
The Defence Secretary said he asked the Armed Forces to “look at options to bolster NATO’s air defence over Poland.” It’s usually a good idea to defend Poland from aggressors…
He added Putin is “testing” Western nations who will “stand firm.” He said: “Russia’s actions are reckless, they’re dangerous, they’re unprecedented… We see what Putin is doing. Yet again he is testing us. Yet again we will stand firm.” Fortuitously timed E5 meeting…
Tom Baldwin, author of Starmer’s hagiography, spoke to Times Radio:
Tom Baldwin: “I think he’d like to do something. He’s very dutiful and driven by service. That’s why he came into politics. I think that’s characterised his time as prime minister. He hasn’t always sought popularity or been good at being popular. But I think he has some of the necessary qualities that we actually do want in a prime minister. That resilience, that relentlessness, that ability to carry the weight and the job really does weigh very heavily on people and he carries that weight very, very well.”
Jo Coburn: “NATO Secretary-General?”
Tom Baldwin: “I think that’s something that he would be interested in. I think it probably requires Andy Burnham’s government to support him in that and these are some of the questions which Andy Burnham has to resolve quite quickly.”