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Ryuu96 on 07 July 2024
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John Healey embraced hero President Volodymyr Zelensky in war torn Odessa yesterday as he vowed all additional military aid promised in April will be delivered within 100 days of Labour taking power “guaranteed”. He insisted the new government is “totally committed” to hiking UK defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP but the “defence of Britain starts in Ukraine.”

Mr Healey hotfooted it to the Black Sea port straight from Sir Keir Starmer’s first Cabinet meeting as a clear signal to the Kremlin that far from backsliding, UK support would be “stepped up and sped up”. He told The Sun: “At every stage since Putin launched his full scale invasion, we have backed all the military aid… the extra funding had our full backing in opposition, we will now deliver it in government.”

And in a direct message to the Russian tyrant, he warned: “Putin is looking for Western nations to lose patience to lose resolve, he must know that Britain under Labour will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes to win. “We will confront Russian aggression and we will pursue him for his war crimes.” During his first official visit to Ukraine, that came within 48 hours of his appointment, Mr Healey said it was time to “step up” the “special leadership” Britain has already shown since Putin invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Britain has pledged up to £3 billion in assistance to Ukraine this year including desperately needed missiles, ammunition and vehicles. He said his “first action” when he arrived at the Ministry of Defence on Friday “was to ask ‘what more can I do to help, how can we speed up what we have already announced?’”

He warned: “The Ukrainians have made a general complaint, that too often what has been promised by the West they have still not got. “They can’t say that about the UK and I am determined that they won’t.” And he pledged; “So the package of support, the extra military aid that Sunak announced in April, that will now come with a 100 day guarantee under Labour.

“What was announced in April will be delivered by the end of 100 days of Labour government.” He added he had “directed the MoD to speed up the delivery of what was promised” by the previous government. And he insisted it could be done, saying; “I am not going to make promises that we don’t keep, and that will be a hallmark of what will start to see under a Labour government.”

He told The Sun: “At the first Cabinet meeting, Keir said ‘we know trust in government must be regained. We will will do what we say and at the heart of this Labour government must be delivery. “And politicians can make promises, but they demonstrate in the end, to people who must have confidence in their government, they demonstrate by what they do.

“So if delivery is at the heart of this government, within less than 24 hours after I was appointed I am on my way to Ukraine. “And I am doing that because we have been, and we are proud of being, united behind Ukraine.” “We made that promise, just as we have throughout, we will continue our steadfast support for Ukraine,” he added.

“We are proud of the UK leadership on Ukraine and I’ve said I want to be proud of UK leadership in six months time. “So I will play my part in what Keir Starmer gave as our marching orders - to put delivery at the heart of everything we do.” He said his visit would be “strong message on Ukraine, a strong message on defence and a strong message on a Keir Starmer government.”

And he instead there was more to come, saying: “First of all we speed up delivery of what we have already announced. "Secondly we will step up further and see what kit we can offer the Ukrainians. “So I have the MoD begin scouring stockpiles, especially for the kit that the Ukrainians are using every day in this fight.”

Last edited by Ryuu96 - on 07 July 2024