DAILY MAIL COMMENT: Is Keir Starmer taking peace for granted?

Armistice Day is first and foremost held to honour those who fought and lost their lives in battles to defend our country.

But it also serves as an annual reminder of the values for which they fell. Our freedoms, and the peace and prosperity we continue to enjoy, is evidence that their sacrifice was not in vain.

As the King led the Remembrance Sunday tributes at the Cenotaph, millions all over the country stood in silence for two minutes to commemorate the war dead.

As they do so again at 11 o’clock today, we should reflect on how dangerous it would be to take our freedoms and peace for granted.

Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the head of the Armed Forces, hammered this point home yesterday in a stark and timely intervention.

He warned that Britain faces decades of security threats as a new axis led by Russia plunges the world into a dangerous new era.

The King salutes after laying a wreath at the Cenotaph during the National Service of Remembrance

Admiral Sir Tony Radakin (right) the head of the Armed Forces, hammered this point home yesterday in a stark and timely intervention

In such febrile times, it’s vital that our military is properly resourced and fit for purpose. So why does the Government not give defence the priority it deserves?

For all the fine words Sir Keir Starmer spouts about being ‘committed’ to the Forces, the Prime Minister refuses to give them the funding boost they urgently need.

Indeed, the Chancellor’s deputy refused to confirm that Labour will raise defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2029.

Donald Trump’s election victory may force Labour to buck up its ideas. Since his first term in the White House, Mr Trump has complained about Nato members shirking on armed forces spending. The days of Europe riding on American military coat-tails are surely now over.

We must start investing sufficiently in defence so we can protect ourselves. Yes, public money is exceptionally tight, but we can’t rely on our ever-scheming enemies to leave us alone. If history has taught us anything, it is that credible deterrence is the only way to avoid war.

Do a trade deal, PM

Sir Keir’s mission to grow the economy will suffer a major blow if Mr Trump carries out his threat to impose 20 per cent tariffs on all imports into the US.

It would inflict huge damage on British exporters, while a global trade war would hit output and whack up consumer prices.

But thanks to his fondness for the UK, the President-elect is reportedly well disposed to offering the PM a free-trade deal. That would give British businesses a massive advantage over their overseas competitors – and be a triumph for Brexit. Without leaving the EU, it would never have been possible.

Sir Keir’s mission to grow the economy will suffer a major blow if Mr Trump carries out his threat to impose 20 per cent tariffs on all imports into the US

Thanks to his fondness for the UK, the President-elect is reportedly well disposed to offering the PM a free-trade deal. That would give British businesses a massive advantage over their overseas competitors – and be a triumph for Brexit

Sadly, Sir Keir – an arch Remainer – appears at best indifferent, at worst hostile to a deal. Rather than seizing this golden opportunity with both hands, he is instead ‘wargaming’ retaliatory tariffs.

It’s not hard to guess why. Signing a trade deal with the US would mean diverging further from EU standards, obstructing the Labour leader’s attempts to forge closer ties with his beloved Brussels.

If Sir Keir is sincere when he says he wants to put country first, party second, he should strain every sinew to get a deal. Or does he consider Remainer ideology more important than our economic wellbeing?

One reason Labour hiked employers’ National Insurance contributions was to help fund two million more NHS appointments each year. 

But analysis suggests the extra cost to GP surgeries would see them cut staff, close or reduce patient consultations – amounting to the loss of, yes, two million appointments. As an example of the law of unintended consequences, this tax grab is hard to beat.