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 09:34, UK
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Sir Keir Starmer said the latest economic growth figure was “a step in the right direction, but there’s much, much more we’ve got to do”.
He told journalists in Kyiv that the government would be “unrelenting” in its pursuit of economic growth.
Sir Keir added: “It was always going to take time to turn around 14 years of economic failure under the last government. That was always going to take time.
“The figures out today are a step in the right direction, but there’s much, much more we’ve got to do and that we will do.
“We’re going to be unrelenting when it comes to driving our economy forward – changing the planning rules, changing regulation.
“The chancellor’s having a session today with the regulators.
“We’re unrelenting on this because we intend to turn this around, to get back economic growth.”
Sir Keir Starmer has said news of a Israel-Hamas ceasefire must be “enduring news” – as he insisted a two-state solution is key to lasting peace.
Speaking in Kyiv, the prime minister said the ceasefire will “be a huge relief to hostages and their families who have been through the most awful, awful of time. It’s really important they’re released just as quickly as possible”.
He added: “There will be relief for the very many Palestinians who have suffered hugely as well. This must be used to get desperately needed aid in, at scale and at speed.
“But it must also – and I’ve been talking to regional leaders about this – be used obviously to get through the various stages.
“But also there’s a path to a lasting peace which has to be a two-state solution, a viable Palestinian state and a safe and secure Israel.
“So we’re working with those in the region and our allies to make sure that this welcome news is enduring news and we’ll be putting all of our efforts into that.”
Sir Keir Starmer has just visited Ukraine’s main burns unit to see first hand the human toll of this war, with victims from the front line – mainly military personnel but civilians – being treated here with the most horrific injuries from missile and shell explosions.
Some patients in intensive have 80% burns over their bodies.
The prime minister, who spent some time visiting patients in intensive care and rehabilitation, said afterwards it was a “grim reminder the heavy price the Ukrainians pay for [Vladimir] Putin’s aggression”.
Simon Jones, Red Cross country lead for Ukraine, told Sky News NHS specialists come on secondments to the hospital for six to eight weeks to help improve the treatment of burns victims by bringing in specialists, from anaesthetists to physiotherapists, as well as equipment.
Their work is funded by donations from the British public to the Red Cross and the foreign office.
“This major burns unit in the Ukraine is not the standard we would accept in the West so we are trying to bring it to a higher level, through equipment, beds, dressings and treatment,” he says.
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.
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
