A Russian warship firing its weapons off the British coast on Monday was “performative and irresponsible”, Wes Streeting has said.
New Defence Secretary Mr Streeting also warned “Russia should be in no doubt about the resolve of this Government and this Prime Minister” in his first engagement in the job.
The live-fire exercise took place 40 nautical miles (46 miles) off the coast of Plymouth on Monday, the same day Andy Burnham entered Government as the new Prime Minister.
The Royal Navy “continues to track the vessel’s activity closely, and stands ready to protect UK national security”, a Ministry of Defence spokesperson said.
Mr Streeting was asked for his response to the incident, as he welcomed defence ministers from Japan, Italy and Canada to London to discuss the Global Combat Air Programme, a pact between the countries to develop a new generation of fighter jets.
He told reporters: “We should see yesterday’s events as performative and irresponsible. It’s not the first time that Russia has behaved like this, and frankly, it’s the tip of the iceberg of the daily threats that this country faces and our allies face.
“Russia should be in no doubt about the resolve of this Government and this Prime Minister, our resolve to stand against Russian aggression in Ukraine, but also Russian aggression against all of our allies.”
