UK PM-in-waiting vows to rebuild 'hard power' for more dangerous world
Burnham said Britain must rebuild its armed forces and cut reliance on foreign suppliers as recent wars and a cyberattack exposed vulnerabilities.
- On Thursday, nominations opened for Labour Party leader, with Andy Burnham expected to succeed Prime Minister Keir Starmer and vow to strengthen armed forces through renewed focus on "hard power."
- Burnham cited recent geopolitical threats—the US-Israeli war against Iran, Russia's war against Ukraine, and a 2025 cyberattack on Jaguar Land Rover costing the economy nearly £2 billion—as justifying stronger defense capabilities.
- Investment in defense will help re-industrialize struggling parts of Britain, Burnham said, arguing that reducing reliance on foreign suppliers and improving funding transparency is "critical" for national security.
- Burnham plans closer defense ties with France and Germany while accelerating European Union negotiations on illegal migration; Jonathan Powell, Starmer's national security adviser, will remain in his role.
- Before returning to Parliament last month, Burnham spent nearly a decade as mayor of Greater Manchester and has never held a government foreign affairs or defense role, leaving his foreign policy views relatively unknown.
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8 Articles
UK PM-in-waiting vows to rebuild ‘hard power’ for more dangerous world
Britain’s likely next prime minister, Andy Burnham, has vowed to strengthen the nation’s armed forces and defence industry, arguing that a more dangerous world requires a renewed focus on “hard power”. Burnham, who is expected to replace Keir Starmer as prime minister on July 20, said he wanted investment in defence to help reindustrialise struggling […]
The Economic Times
Times of IndiaUK PM-in-waiting Andy Burnham vows to rebuild 'hard power' for more dangerous world
Andy Burnham plans to boost Britain's defense capabilities and industry. He believes a dangerous world requires renewed focus on "hard power." Investment in defense will help reindustrialize struggling parts of Britain. Burnham also seeks closer defense ties with European nations. He will speed up negotiations with the European Union on key issues.
UK PM-in-waiting vows to rebuild 'hard power' for more dangerous world
Britain's likely next prime minister, Andy Burnham, has vowed to strengthen the nation's armed forces and defence industry, arguing that a more dangerous world requires a renewed focus on "hard power".
Rolls Royce boost after Burnham pledges defence investment
Shares in London-listed defence firms including Rolls-Royce and Babcock rose on Thursday morning after Prime Minister-to-be Andy Burnham pledged to drive investment into Britain’s defence industry. The Makerfield MP said strengthening Britain’s defence will be his “first priority” if he enters Number 10 – as he is expected to later this month – but insisted he would “ensure we back British workers and businesses”. FTSE 100-listed Rolls Royce le…
Andy Burnham vows to rebuild UK's 'hard power' with billions to British defence firms
Prime Minister-in-waiting Andy Burnham has vowed to rebuild the UK's "hard power" by allocating billions of extra defence spending to British firms. Mr Burnham, in his first foreign policy intervention, wants to steer defence procurement away from European and American companies and boost homegrown firms. He said he wanted to "level with" the public about the amount of money required to meet the UK's promise to Nato to spend 3.5 per cent of GDP …
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