Defence Secretary John Healey has revealed that a Russian spy ship is currently on the edge of UK waters, off the coast of Scotland, and issued a stark warning to Moscow not to head any further south. The shocking revelation came at the top of a major speech on defence by Mr Healey from Downing Street.
Opening the press conference, he announced: “As I speak, a Russian spy ship – the Yantar – is on the edge of the UK’s waters north of Scotland, having entered the UK’s wider waters over the last few weeks. This is a vessel designed for gathering intelligence and mapping our undersea cables. We deployed a Royal Navy frigate and RAF planes to monitor and track this vessel’s every move, during which the Yantar directed lasers at our pilots.”
“That Russian action is deeply dangerous. And this is the second time this year that this ship has deployed to UK waters.”
He issued a blunt threat to Russian war leader Vladimir Putin: “We see you, we know what you’re doing, and if the Yantar travels south this week, we are ready.”
The worrying news came amid an announcement by the government that Britain will mass-manufacture explosives for the first time in a generation, including high explosives, rocket propellants and ignition systems to be used on the front line.
Mr Healey said he hopes the move will boost Britain’s readiness for war and mark an end to the hollowing out and underfunding of the army overseen by the Tories.
He told the No. 10 news conference: “For too long our proud industrial heartlands saw jobs go away and not come back… This is a fundamental shift from the failed approach of the past.”
However the MoD announcement came on the same day that the House of Commons defence select committee published a report warning that Britain would be unable to defend itself from an attack at present, and has “next to nothing” when it comes to air and missile defences.
Mr Healey warned Putin that Britain stands ready (Image: Getty)
The cross-party report also criticised the current Labour government for moving at a “glacial” pace in the face of renewed threats from Russia and China.
It also suggested Britain is breaching its NATO Article 3 defence obligations to “maintain and develop individual and collective capacity to resist armed attack”.
The government has earmarked at least 13 potential sites for the newly announced munitions factories, which have been branded “the factories of the future”, and it’s expected they will begin construction as soon as next year.
Potential sites include Grangemouth, Teesside, and Milford Haven.
Mr Healey said: “For too long our proud industrial heartlands saw jobs go away and not come back. We are changing that. Bringing new hope. This is a fundamental shift from the failed approach of the past.
“This is a new era of threat, but the opportunity of this new era is a defence dividend from our record investment, measured in good jobs, thriving businesses, new skills for the British people.
“We are making defence an engine for growth, unambiguously backing British jobs and British skills as we make the UK better ready to fight and better able to deter future conflicts. This is the path that delivers national and economic security.”
