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Britain to Build Billion-Pound Weapons Works as Starmer Calls for War Readiness

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during a press conference, following a deal on the Chagos Islands, at a military headquarters in London, Britain May 22, 2025. Thomas Krych/Pool via REUTERS
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during a press conference, following a deal on the Chagos Islands, at a military headquarters in London, Britain May 22, 2025. Thomas Krych/Pool via REUTERS
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Britain to Build Billion-Pound Weapons Works as Starmer Calls for War Readiness

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during a press conference, following a deal on the Chagos Islands, at a military headquarters in London, Britain May 22, 2025. Thomas Krych/Pool via REUTERS
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during a press conference, following a deal on the Chagos Islands, at a military headquarters in London, Britain May 22, 2025. Thomas Krych/Pool via REUTERS

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.
Defense Minister John Healey announced the munitions investment program in a BBC interview on Sunday, describing it as "a message to Moscow" as well as a way to stimulate the country's sluggish economy.
The Ministry of Defense said it would procure up to 7,000 long-range weapons, built in Britain. The extra investment means Britain will spend around 6 billion pounds on munitions in the current parliament, the MoD said.
The Sunday Times reported the government wanted to purchase US-made fighter jets capable of firing tactical nuclear weapons. The MoD did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report.
The Strategic Defense Review, commissioned by Starmer's Labor government shortly after it won power last July, will set out the threats Britain faces and the military equipment and services needed to meet them.
Starmer has already committed to raise defense spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 and target a 3% level over the longer term.
The government has already announced a billion-pound plan to invest in Artificial Intelligence that can be used to enhance battlefield decision-making, and has separately committed to spend an extra 1.5 billion pounds to tackle the poor state of housing for the country's armed forces.

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Pro-Palestinian Activists Charged with Damaging Planes at UK Air Base are Held in Custody

An activist from Palestine Action sprays a military aircraft engine with red paint at RAF Brize Norton, to damage it, in Carterton, Britain, June 20, 2025, in this still image obtained from handout video. The group's action was in protest of British military assistance to Israel, claiming that they, "interrupted Britain's direct participation in the commission of genocide and war crimes across the Middle East", stating on their website. Palestine Action/Handout via REUTERS/File photo
An activist from Palestine Action sprays a military aircraft engine with red paint at RAF Brize Norton, to damage it, in Carterton, Britain, June 20, 2025, in this still image obtained from handout video. The group's action was in protest of British military assistance to Israel, claiming that they, "interrupted Britain's direct participation in the commission of genocide and war crimes across the Middle East", stating on their website. Palestine Action/Handout via REUTERS/File photo
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Pro-Palestinian Activists Charged with Damaging Planes at UK Air Base are Held in Custody

An activist from Palestine Action sprays a military aircraft engine with red paint at RAF Brize Norton, to damage it, in Carterton, Britain, June 20, 2025, in this still image obtained from handout video. The group's action was in protest of British military assistance to Israel, claiming that they, "interrupted Britain's direct participation in the commission of genocide and war crimes across the Middle East", stating on their website. Palestine Action/Handout via REUTERS/File photo
An activist from Palestine Action sprays a military aircraft engine with red paint at RAF Brize Norton, to damage it, in Carterton, Britain, June 20, 2025, in this still image obtained from handout video. The group's action was in protest of British military assistance to Israel, claiming that they, "interrupted Britain's direct participation in the commission of genocide and war crimes across the Middle East", stating on their website. Palestine Action/Handout via REUTERS/File photo

Four pro-Palestinian protesters were held in custody Thursday after their first appearance in a London court on charges they damaged two Royal Air Force planes with red paint and crowbars.

The charges come after the group Palestine Action said two of its members entered RAF Brize Norton on June 20 and used electric scooters to approach two Voyager jets used for air-to-air refueling. The protesters used repurposed fire extinguishers to spray paint into the planes’ jet engines and caused further damage with crowbars, according to the group, which released video footage of the incident, The AP news reported.

The four, all between the ages of 22 and 35, are charged with conspiracy to commit criminal damage and conspiracy to enter a prohibited place for purposes prejudicial to the interests of the UK, counterterror police said in a statement. The Crown Prosecution Service will argue that the offenses have a “terrorist connection,” police said.

The group did not enter pleas in Westminster Magistrates’ Court. They were scheduled to appear July 18 at the Central Criminal Court.

Palestine Action has claimed responsibility for a series of incidents targeting Israeli defense contractors in the UK and other sites linked to the war in Gaza.

Following the incident at RAF Brize Norton, the government introduced legislation to ban Palestine Action as a terrorist organization. The measure, being debated in Parliament, would make it a criminal offense to belong to or support the group, with a maximum of 14 years in prison.

Palestine Action said its protests are designed to end international support for Israel’s war in Gaza.

Planes from Brize Norton, 70 miles (112 kilometers) northwest of London, regularly fly to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, Britain’s main air base for operations in the Middle East.