Healey says, if Putin needs to send warship to escort shadow fleet oil tankers in Channel, UK policy ‘having an impact’
In his Q&A with journalists today, John Healey, the defence secretary, was asked about Russia sending a warship through the Channel escorting Russian ships subject to sanctions.
In its report on this story, the Telegraph describes this as Vladimir Putin mocking Keir Starmer.
Photograph: Telegraph
The Telegraph says that, even though Starmer announced that the military have authorisation to board Russian shadow fleet oil tankers in UK waters, this has not happened – and does not seem to be happening in this case.
But Healey implied that the fact that Russia feels the need to send a warship to escort its shadow fleet vessels has shown the new UK policy is “having an impact” because it is making it much more difficult for Putin to sell oil using these tankers.
Healey said:
double quotation markOn the question of the shadow ships, we’ve got a strong history as a country for sanctioning ships, individuals – and with allies.
We’ve seen two things in the last year; we’ve seen over 200 of the Russian sanctioned shadow fleet put out of action and forced to anchor, putting more pressure on Putin’s ability to fund his illegal war with Ukraine; and we’ve seen the oil revenues that Russia takes from the illegal trade drop by a quarter. But there’s more we can do.
As the prime minister has announced, we are ready. We have the military options, and we’re ready to take action, not just in support of, but action with allies to interdict shadow fleet vessels.
I’ll just suggest you, if the action we’ve already taken, the action that the prime minister has indicated we’re ready to take in addition, is making Russia re-route its shadow ships as it has, or escort its shadow ships with its own warships, then the stance, the military posture, the determined work that we’ve done, particularly with allied nations, is having an impact and making it harder for Putin to pursue his illegal oil revenues coordinate around his shadow fleet and fund his illegal war in Ukraine.
Healey also said there would be further action on this in the coming weeks and months.
(In theory, the presence of a Russian warship nearby would not affect authorisation for a British raid on a vessel breaking sanctions. But it is not surprising that the risk of military confrontation with the Russians would make this an unattractive proposition for the Ministry of Defence.)
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Updated at 14.10 CEST
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Ipsos has released polling today suggesting that over the past month public support for the way Keir Starmer has responded to the Iran war has gone up. Overall, his rating on this measure is still negative (40% think he has done a bad job, while 30% think he has done a good job). But this is a 9-point impovement on his rating on the same measure at the start of March (and it is higher than his approval rating on many other issues).
Polling on Iran war policy Photograph: Ipsos
The poll also shows that 65% of Britons disapprove of the US attacks against Iran, up from 56% when the war started.
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Healey says Trump was wrong to dismiss UK’s aircraft carriers as ‘toys’
John Healey also said at his news conference this morning that Donald Trump was wrong to describe the UK’s two aircraft carriers at “toys”.
Asked about the president’s comment two weeks ago, Healey said:
double quotation markI like to let our actions, rather than our words, speak for themselves.
And I would just say about our carriers, I reject the descriptions that have been levelled against them.
Our carrier completed an eight-month tour last year in the Indo-Pacific, in which it led ships of 14 other nations during the period of its operation, including the US.
It meant that it is now, because of that operation, fully certified as Nato’s flagship and that is the role that it will now play as we deploy it to the High North.
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Sending more British military assets to Gulf during Iran war wouldn’t have been in national interest, Healey says
The government has faced a lot of criticism during the Iran war over not being able to deploy more ships, or other military assets, to the Gulf. Asked about this at his news conference this morning, John Healey, the defence secretary, argued that this would not necessarily have been in the national interest. He explained:
double quotation markWhen a crisis erupts noisily and dangerously, as it has done in the Middle East, I understand people questioning why all UK military assets and personnel have not been deployed to deal with it, but that is not in Britain’s national interest.
The greatest threats are often unseen and silent, and as demands on defence rise, we must deploy our resources to best effect.
John Healey speaking at his news conference this morning. Photograph: Yui Mok/ReutersShare
The Kremlin has said that its frigate, the Admiral Grigorovich, has been escorting two sanctioned oil tankers through the Channel to protect them from “piracy”.
Asked about the Telegraph report (see 12.42pm), the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, told reporters:
double quotation markOver the past few months, we have witnessed repeated incidents of piracy in international waters. These incidents of piracy have, among other things, harmed the economic interests of the Russian Federation.
The Russian Federation considers itself entitled to, and will certainly take, measures to protect its interests.
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Wales will give up ‘bending to Westminster’s will’ with Plaid Cymru in power, its leader says at campaign launch
Bethan McKernan
Bethan McKernan is the Guardian’s Wales correspondent.
Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth has launched what he described as an “ambitious and credible” plan for Wales at the party’s Senedd manifesto launch in Wrexham.
Polls suggest the pro-independence Welsh nationalist party is on the brink of taking office for the first time in next month’s elections.
Ap Iorwerth said:
double quotation markOurs is a land brimming with potential … Our pledge is to govern with hope. To govern with humility. To govern with the kind of urgency and impatience which gets things done. No more bending to Westminster’s will, no more defending the status quo.
Many of Plaid Cymru’s key pledges had been heavily trailed or previously announced, but key pledges include cutting NHS waiting lists, a flagship 20 hours a week of universal childcare, Cynnal, a child payment scheme similar to Scotland’s aimed at eradicating Wales’ high levels of child poverty, and the creation of a new business-led National Development Agency for Wales.
The programme had been costed by Swansea University economist Gerry Holtham, ap Iorwerth said.
Voters in Wales go to the polls on 7 May to elect 96 members to the new Senedd, up from 60 members, under a new more proportional voting system.
After 27 years in government, Welsh Labour appear destined for opposition; several surveys suggest the vote is a two-horse race between Plaid Cymru and Reform UK, with Labour in a distant third.
Introducing ap Iorwerth, Carrie Harper, a PC candidate for the new constituency of Fflint Wrecsam, said a Plaid Cymru led administration would be the “first Welsh parliament answerable solely to the people of Wales in 600 years.”
Rhun ap Iorwerth at the Plaid Cymru manifesto launch in Wrexham. Photograph: Matthew Horwood/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 14.46 CEST
Healey says, if Putin needs to send warship to escort shadow fleet oil tankers in Channel, UK policy ‘having an impact’
In his Q&A with journalists today, John Healey, the defence secretary, was asked about Russia sending a warship through the Channel escorting Russian ships subject to sanctions.
In its report on this story, the Telegraph describes this as Vladimir Putin mocking Keir Starmer.
Photograph: Telegraph
The Telegraph says that, even though Starmer announced that the military have authorisation to board Russian shadow fleet oil tankers in UK waters, this has not happened – and does not seem to be happening in this case.
But Healey implied that the fact that Russia feels the need to send a warship to escort its shadow fleet vessels has shown the new UK policy is “having an impact” because it is making it much more difficult for Putin to sell oil using these tankers.
Healey said:
double quotation markOn the question of the shadow ships, we’ve got a strong history as a country for sanctioning ships, individuals – and with allies.
We’ve seen two things in the last year; we’ve seen over 200 of the Russian sanctioned shadow fleet put out of action and forced to anchor, putting more pressure on Putin’s ability to fund his illegal war with Ukraine; and we’ve seen the oil revenues that Russia takes from the illegal trade drop by a quarter. But there’s more we can do.
As the prime minister has announced, we are ready. We have the military options, and we’re ready to take action, not just in support of, but action with allies to interdict shadow fleet vessels.
I’ll just suggest you, if the action we’ve already taken, the action that the prime minister has indicated we’re ready to take in addition, is making Russia re-route its shadow ships as it has, or escort its shadow ships with its own warships, then the stance, the military posture, the determined work that we’ve done, particularly with allied nations, is having an impact and making it harder for Putin to pursue his illegal oil revenues coordinate around his shadow fleet and fund his illegal war in Ukraine.
Healey also said there would be further action on this in the coming weeks and months.
(In theory, the presence of a Russian warship nearby would not affect authorisation for a British raid on a vessel breaking sanctions. But it is not surprising that the risk of military confrontation with the Russians would make this an unattractive proposition for the Ministry of Defence.)
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Updated at 14.10 CEST
Details from MoD of how Royal Navy exposes Russian operation aimed at undersea cables
Here is a longer quote from John Healey, the defence secretary, about the Russian submarine operation foiled by the Royal Navy.
double quotation markOn the operation I’m setting out today, this was over a month where we and allies tracked every mile of the Russian subs.
We recognised the Akula attack submarine as a likely decoy to distract us from the Gugi submarines. We watched the Gugi submarines as they spent time over critical infrastructure relevant to us and our allies in the North Atlantic.
We watched them. We were able to track them.
And because we were watching them, we wanted to ensure that we could warn them that their covert operation had been exposed and reduce the risk that they may attempt any action that could damage our pipelines or our cables.
And I’m confident, we have no evidence that there has been any damage, but with allies, were sure that this is now verifiable.
And here is an extract from the Ministry of Defence briefing about the operation, which does not seem to be available online. The MoD says the Russian vessels were engaged in “nefarious activity near critical underwater infrastructure”. It says:
double quotation markSubsea fibre optic cables are essential for all digital communications, with over 99% of international data traffic, including voice calls and internet data, travelling through subsea cables. This underpins global banking, trade, and communications.
Conducted under the cover of events in the Middle East, the Russian attack submarine and multiple vessels from the Main Directorate of Deep Sea Research (known as GUGI) entered international waters in the High North.
The Royal Navy deployed a Type 23 frigate HMS St Albans, RFA Tidespring and Merlin helicopters to track the attack submarine as it operated near British territorial waters.
Working alongside RAF P8 aircraft, the submarine was tracked 24/7 in an operation carried out with allies.
As part of the operation, which saw British ships cover thousands of miles, the RAF and Navy deployed sonobuoys to track the Russian vessels.
While the Russian attack submarine has now headed back towards Russia, the UK has kept both naval vessels and aircraft ready to respond should Russian vessels return.
GUGI is Russia’s long-running military programme to develop capabilities to be deployed from specialist surface vessels and submarines, that are intended to survey underwater infrastructure during peacetime, but then damage or destroy infrastructure during a conflict.
British defences were previously tested by GUGI when the Russian spy ship Yantar sailed near UK waters last year. The ship was tracked by a Royal Navy frigate and RAF P8s, with lasers being directed at British pilots.
The Yantar is one the key vessels used by Russia to threaten the UK and our allies. Over the last two years, the UK has seen a 30% increase in Russian vessels threatening UK waters.
The MoD has also released these images of the GUGI base.
Images of Russia’s GUGI base. Photograph: MoDShare
Updated at 13.16 CEST
UK navy foiled Russian submarines surveying undersea cables, John Healey says
While Zack Polanski was speaking at the Green party’s launch, John Healey, the defence secretary, was holding a press conference. He announced that a British warship and aircraft tracked and monitored Russian submarines attempting to survey vital undersea infrastructure in the North Atlantic, ensuring they abandoned their mission.
Peter Walker has the story here.
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Polanski accepts vetting candidates has been ‘real challenge’ because party has grown so quickly
Q: Are you finding it difficult vetting candidates because you have grown so quickly?
Polanski says this is a “real challenge” because the party has expanded so much.
He says he would not be surprised if “the odd candidate’” gets through who does not align with the party’s values, “where we have to distance ourselves from them”.
But the party is doing “due diligence”, he says.
Zack Polanski speaking at the Green party launch. Photograph: Leon Neal/Getty ImagesShare
Q: Would you include arms in your call for tougher sanctions on Israel?
Polanski says all options should be on the table. Israel is behaving “in a completely uncontrolled way”, he says. It is acting like “a rogue state”.
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Q: Will you keep the triple lock?
Polanski says the party will say more about this in its manifesto.
He does accept that the younger generation is being “screwed over”. But he does not agree with the idea that younger people need to be pitted against older people.
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Q: [From the Daily Mail] Will you drop your plan to cut motorway speed limits to 55mph in the light of polling showing 60% of your supporters are not in favour?
Polanski says the Mail and the Telegraph are always going through past Green party policy documents, and ignoring qualifing comments saying the policy is under development.
He says, in a fuel crisis, reducing speed limits can make sense. But he says he wants more focus on public transport.
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