Sir Keir Starmer is in Kyiv to sign a new 100-year agreement to provide support to Ukraine with the country’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Sky’s Political Editor Beth Rigby joins the PM.
Thursday 16 January 2025 09:07, UK
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Our political editor Beth Rigby is in Kyiv today, where she has joined the prime minister on his first trip to Ukraine in the role.
Sir Keir Starmer is meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to sign a 100-year “landmark” deal, which he says will underpin the UK’s “steadfast support”.
Beth says: “It comes at a critical moment, with Trump poised to enter the White House in days, and an expectation among European allies that peace negotiations will begin.
“President Trump has made it clear that he wants to end the war in Ukraine. The conflict is dependant on billions of dollars of funding from the US.
“President Trump wants to negotiate, says he wants to talk to Putin.”
Beth says what we have at the moment is a “British prime minister coming over here to show solidarity and support with Ukraine among European allies”.
She says today will see the signing of a 100-year partnership, and there may also be an “update of support in terms of weapons for Ukraine as the war intensifies ahead of Donald Trump entering the White House with Russia making gains”.
The British prime minister is in Ukraine at a “critical time”, she reiterates.
“There will be lots of discussion today about what peace negotiations might look like because the tone has shifted from victory for Ukraine and doubling down in support for as long as it takes to putting Ukraine in the best possible position for negotiations”.
As we’ve been reporting, Sir Keir Starmer has arrived in Kyiv this morning for his first visit to Ukraine since becoming prime minister six months ago.
He has now shared a short message to the people of Ukraine…
Sir Keir Starmer has arrived in Kyiv this morning, for his first visit to Ukraine since becoming prime minister.
Deborah Haynes, our security and defence editor, notes it has taken six months since he became prime minister in July for Sir Keir to take this trip.
Speaking from Dnipro, she says: “This is in contrast to his predecessors who were very quick to come to Ukraine to show their support. He’s coming here to this country to sign what Downing Street is calling a 100-year partnership.
“A demonstration of the UK’s strong commitment to Ukraine.”
Hear more of what Deborah had to say below:
Kevin Hollinrake, the shadow housing minister, has said he is pleased to see Sir Keir Starmer head to Ukraine this morning.
But speaking to Kay Burley on Sky News Breakfast, he said: “It’s about time.”
“Six months and he’s not been there yet,” Mr Hollinrake says.
“I welcome Keir Starmer going to Ukraine, we started this 100-year partnership which is both an economic and a security partnership to make sure what has happened in Ukraine can’t happen again.
“We very much hope there will be a settlement to what happens in Ukraine and that terrible war will end.”
He says this has to be down to the support of the UK, US and the rest of the world.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has insisted the government “needs to do more to grow our economy” as GDP grew marginally in November.
Gross domestic product (GDP), the standard measure of an economy’s value and everything it produces, grew by 0.1%, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.
It was expected to grow by 0.2%.
Reacting to this, the chancellor said: “The truth is, the British economy has barely grown for the last 14 years, and that’s why we had a cost of living crisis and why British people are worse off.
“This new government has come in with a determination, a number one mission to grow the economy. That takes time, but that’s why this week, the prime minister announced the AI action plan to take advantage of the huge opportunities of technology, it’s why yesterday we announced investment in housing and infrastructure.
“It’s why today the business secretary is announcing inward investment in the manufacturing sector in Sunderland, and its why I announced a deal this week to help British business export more to China.
“We need to do more to grow our economy, to make British people better off.”
Mel Stride, the shadow chancellor, has said the UK needs an “urgent change of course” – as the Lib Dems called for Labour’s “foolish” jobs tax to be scrapped.
Reacting to news that gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 0.1% in November, he said: “This is the third month in a row of disappointing growth figures.
“The chancellor seems content with burying her head in the sand, but this is a crisis made in Downing Street. We need an urgent change of course.”
Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokeswoman Daisy Cooper has called for Labour to scrap its “foolish” jobs tax.
She said: “The chancellor has put the handbrake on the economy with her misguided jobs tax and the consequence is this pitiful rate of growth.
“Every month this persists means less money in struggling families’ pockets and public services without the funding they need.
“After years of the Conservatives’ economic vandalism, the public was crying out for change but this new government is falling well short of fixing this mess.
“Rachel Reeves needs to see sense and scrap her foolish jobs tax, and pursue a real strategy for growth like fixing our broken trade relationship with our European partners and replacing the broken business rates system.”
The conversation with Jonathan Reynolds now turns to Sir Keir Starmer’s first trip to Ukraine as prime minister.
Sir Keir will sign a century-long partnership with Ukraine today, to underpin Britain’s “steadfast support” for the war-torn country.
“The prime minister is visiting Ukraine today, our support for Ukraine has been steadfast,” Mr Reynolds says.
“We obviously want to see Russia’s illegal invasion come to an end, and the prime minister’s support for Ukraine is visible by being there today.”
Asked how much this new deal will cost, the minister says the UK has put “significant resource” into “defending Ukraine”.
“National security has no price tag,” he adds.
“I don’t think you can say that it wasn’t the right thing to do.”
Mr Reynolds suggests that the deal will amount to around £3bn a year of support.
Jonathan Reynolds, the business secretary, is now joining Kay Burley on Sky News Breakfast.
Asked if he is looking forward to Donald Trump coming into office in the US next week, the minister says its going to be a “challenging time for anyone who is responsible for trade”.
But, he says: “I think there’s opportunities for the UK in this, there are lots of things I… would like to see the UK doing more closely with the US, in areas like technology, digital trade and so on.”
Asked if he is worried about a tariff war, Mr Reynolds says: “I am.”
“The UK is a very globally orientated economy economy so the exposure, the danger to the UK is actually greater than even some comparable countries around.
“A lot of our work has been preparing for that, engaging early with the new administration.”
He adds: “We can’t be complacent, and we’re very well prepared for that engagement.”
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said she will “fight every day to deliver” economic growth after the latest figures showed gross domestic product grew by 0.1% in November.
Gross domestic product (GDP), the standard measure of an economy’s value and everything it produces, grew by 0.1%, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.
It was expected to grow by 0.2%.
It is mixed news for the government, which has made economic growth its top priority.
Despite this political focus, the economy shrank by 0.1% in both October and September.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said: “I am determined to go further and faster to kickstart economic growth, which is the number one priority in our plan for change.
“That means generating investment, driving reform and a relentless commitment to root out waste in public spending, and today I will be pressing regulators on what more they can do to deliver growth.
“After fourteen years of economic stagnation, this government’s number one mission is to grow our economy. I will fight every day to deliver that growth and put more money into working people’s pockets.”
By Tim Baker, political reporter
Police are investigating an alleged spiking incident in the Houses of Parliament last week.
First reported to parliamentary authorities, the investigation has now been passed to the Metropolitan Police.
A spokesperson for the Met said: “Police received reports of an alleged spiking at an establishment in the House of Commons, on Tuesday 7 January at around 6.30pm.
“The investigation is ongoing and the victim is being supported by officers.
“There have been no arrests at this stage.”
MPs returned to parliament on Monday 6 January following their Christmas break.
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