Russia and Putin the ‘biggest threat’ to UK security, warns Streeting

Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has labelled Russia and President Vladimir Putin the biggest threat to the country’s security as he warned the UK is at the “greatest risk” of war in his life.

Mr Streeting said the threat was behind the decision to “deliver the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War”.

Speaking to The Sun on Sunday ahead of Labour’s conference which starts in Liverpool on Sunday, he said: “Without a shadow of a doubt, the biggest threat facing Britain is Russia and President Putin.

“We’ve got war in our continent. We’ve got a Russian president who has imperialist ambitions, who is constantly testing Britain’s defences, Nato defences and testing the strength of our alliances.

“And so, the sobering reality is that we face a greater risk of war than we’ve done at any point in my lifetime.”

He said he is confident the country has what it needs to remain safe, but the same would not be true if defences were to “stand still” for five years.

“Strength builds deterrence, and deterrence makes it far less likely that we will end up in a place we don’t want to be – which is at war with Russia or, indeed, anyone else,” he said.