German warplanes will start tracking Russian submarines off Scotland coast as part of UK-Germany defence pact
German warplanes that can track Russian submarines will start operating off the coast of Scotland as early as next year as part of a “landmark” defence pact between London and Berlin.
The new agreement – due to be signed on Wednesday by Defence Secretary John Healey and his German counterpart – will also pave the way for a German defence company to open a factory in Britain that will make artillery gun barrels.
It will be the first time in a decade that such weapons will be built in the UK – even though the urgent need to expand this kind of production capability was exposed almost three years ago by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
‘A milestone’
In a further deepening of military cooperation, the UK and Germany will work together to build new long-range missiles with the ability to hit targets at greater precision and distance than the UK-French Storm Shadow cruise missiles.
People take a selfie near Russian Navy submarines during the International Maritime Defence Show in June 2024. Pic: Reuters
Mr Healey described what is being called the Trinity House Agreement as a “milestone” moment in the UK’s relationship with Germany and said it will help strengthen Europe’s security.
“It secures unprecedented levels of new cooperation with the German Armed Forces and industry, bringing benefits to our shared security and prosperity, protecting our shared values and boosting our defence industrial bases,” he said in a statement.
The Ministry of Defence said the UK and Germany – which ramped up defence spending in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine – are “Europe’s two biggest defence spenders”.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
But Britain also has close defence ties – forged around specific defence treaties – with France.
The French military is the European force most typically likened to the UK’s given both countries are nuclear powers with – unsurprisingly – a much greater willingness to project combat power than Germany in the decades since the end of the Second World War.
Boris Pistorius, the German defence minister, who is in the UK to sign the new accord, said Berlin and London were moving closer together.
“With projects across the air, land, sea, and cyber domains, we will jointly increase our defence capabilities, thereby strengthening the European pillar within NATO,” he said.
“We must not take security in Europe for granted. Russia is waging war against Ukraine, it is increasing its weapons production immensely and has repeatedly launched hybrid attacks on our partners in Eastern Europe.”
Read more from Sky News:
‘Global South’ interested in joining BRICS – as it’s ‘tone deaf’ to anti-Russia rhetoric
This includes the targeting of undersea cables, gas pipelines and other submerged critical infrastructure.
The UK and Germany are pledging to work together to protect such cables in the North Sea.
As part of this effort, they will jointly develop “undersea surveillance capabilities”.
A planned German fleet of submarine hunter spy planes – the P8-Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft – will also operate “periodically” from a Royal Air Force base at Lossiemouth in Scotland.
An exact date for this mission has not yet been finalised as the first of the aircraft, built by the US defence company Boeing, is not set to enter into service in the German military until at least 2025.
The German warplanes could also at some point be armed with British torpedoes.
Another strand of the agreement will see Rheinmetall, the German defence firm, open an artillery gun barrel factory in the UK in a move that will create more than 400 jobs, according to the Ministry of Defence.
It described the defence accord as “the first pillar in a wider UK-Germany treaty pledged by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Chancellor Olaf Scholz in August”.
UK
Newcastle: Three men arrested in connection with deadly house explosion and on suspicion of cannabis production
Three men have been arrested in connection with a deadly house explosion in Newcastle.
Seven-year-old Archie York and Jason Laws, who was in his 30s, were killed following the blast in Violet Close, in the Benwell and Elswick area of the city in October.
Police said at the time that six others were taken to hospital “with varying injuries” after the blast and subsequent fire.
Three men – two in their 30s and one in his 50s – have been arrested on suspicion of two counts of manslaughter, and the production of a Class B drug, namely cannabis, Northumbria Police said.
They all remain in police custody.
Detective Chief Inspector Katie Smith said: “This has been a truly tragic incident which resulted in the loss of two lives.
“As a result of our ongoing enquiries, three men have today been arrested in connection with the explosion.
“Our investigation will remain ongoing as we seek to provide answers to what has happened.
“We would continue to ask people to avoid speculation surrounding this incident both online and in the community.”
Read more UK news:
Disguised MP jailed for trying to kill mother’s partner
Bonfire Night disorder across Edinburgh
Starmer and Badenoch lead British congratulations as Trump wins
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
From October: Deadly blast destroys Newcastle house
The blast tore through a row of six properties divided into two flats each.
Drone footage showed how six flats in the middle of the building appeared to have been completely destroyed by the explosion and fire, while piles of debris could be seen in the street outside.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Superintendent Darren Adams, from Northumbria Police, said on the day of the fire: “As a result of the incident in the early hours of this morning, a seven-year-old boy has sadly passed away.
“Despite the efforts of the emergency services, he tragically died at the scene.
“This is a truly devastating outcome.”
Prince William has given an update on the Princess of Wales’s health, describing her as “amazing”.
Ahead of tonight’s Earthshot Prize awards in Cape Town, he was asked how his wife Kate was doing and replied: “She’s doing really well thanks. Hopefully she’s watching tonight and cheering me on.
“She’s been amazing this whole year and I know she’ll be really keen to see tonight be a success.”
Kate revealed in March she was having preventative chemotherapy following the discovery of pre-cancerous cells.
In September, she announced she had completed her treatment and said her focus now is on “staying cancer free”.
Throughout the year, Prince William hasn’t discussed his wife’s diagnosis, despite still continuing with his own public duties.
William and Kate at a community engagement last month. Pic: Andrew Parsons/Kensington Palace
William answered questions after taking part in rehearsals for tonight’s Earthshot Awards, the environmental prize he launched in 2021 to try to inject some optimism into the climate crisis debate.
Since he’s been in Cape Town he’s been spotted wearing a bracelet with the word ‘papa’ on it, given to him by his daughter Princess Charlotte.
He explained: “This is a relic from a Taylor Swift concert that my daughter decided that she wanted to create a bracelet for, and she gave it to me when I came away so I’ve promised her that I’d wear it and try not to lose it while I was out here.”
He also shared how he’s trying to make sure his three children feel involved in his environmental work, including doing things around the house.
The Prince of Wales in Cape Town today. Pic: PA
The prince said: “Every family tries to do what they can to help with the environment and we go through the basics of recycling and making sure we minimise water use, turning lights off when you leave the house. We’re sensible with what we do around the environment. I think every family has those conversations.
“The Earthshot is trying to be more global than that – we’re trying to do big-scale ambition and business. I’ve brought the children along on that journey and I hope they’re proud of what we are trying to do here which is to galvanise that energy and enthusiasm to make real impact.”
Read more:
William’s ‘milestone’ moment in South Africa
Kate hugs teen with rare form of cancer
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Asked about the tough political climate for the environment right now, Prince William didn’t make any comment about the US election result and Donald Trump’s climate credentials, but said: “Everyone wants some hope and some optimism and Earthshot comes with urgent optimism.
“And as you’ll see tonight the amount of youth from Africa who will be in here – they’ll be letting you know and letting everyone know that it matters to them.
“Without them, the future is looking pretty bleak so these are the game changers, the innovators, the inventors who are going to make the world a better place for us in future.”
The annual Earthshot Prize awards five entrepreneurs, innovators, startups or conservationists with £1m each to help scale their ideas to tackle some of the world’s most pressing environmental issues.
This is the fourth year the awards have been held.
Sara Sharif’s father has told a court he did not beat the 10-year-old girl, claiming his wife was “very, very, crazy” and accusing her of abuse.
Taxi driver Urfan Sharif, his wife Beinash Batool and brother Faisal Malik are on trial at the Old Bailey accused of Sara’s murder in August last year.
Sara was found dead in bed at the family’s home in Woking, Surrey, after Sharif called police from Pakistan and said he had beaten her “too much”.
A post-mortem found dozens of injuries, including burns and human bite marks.
Giving evidence in court on Wednesday, Sharif said: “Everything happened at home while I was at work.
“I did not beat her, do anything to her.”
(L-R) Urfan Sharif, Beinash Batool and Faisal Malik deny murder. Pics: Surrey Police
In WhatsApp messages to her sisters, Batool claimed her husband had beaten his daughter “like crazy” over at least two years.
Sharif denied this and instead alleged his wife – who was Sara’s stepmother – was “very, very crazy”, highlighting video evidence allegedly showing she abused him.
He said he recorded the incidents “so that she (would) leave me alone” and “stop what she was doing”.
The taxi driver alleged his wife did not “care about anything at all” and claimed her family said: “Someone has done black magic on her.”
Sharif became emotional as he told jurors: “I used to jump through the kitchen window as she would lock the front door.
“Most of the time when she was angry, I jumped through the living room window.”
Read more from the trial:
Father begged to save Sara Sharif, defence says
Sara’s stepmother cries as video shows girl dancing ‘days before murder’
Video shows moment Sara’s family detained on plane
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
The court was shown two videos from Sharif’s Google drive. One was filmed in February 2016 after his wife accused him of flirting with a hospital nurse, he said.
In the video, he could be heard saying: “You are pushing me. You are abusing me. Get off me.
“You are hitting me. I’m going to use this as evidence I’m telling you now.”
Batool demanded for him to stop filming and said: “I ain’t scared of you.”
Addressing what the video showed, Sharif told the court: “She kicked me. I ran to the other room, she is standing in front of the door so I cannot leave.”
A second video, dated 26 June 2019, saw Sharif repeatedly asking his wife to “let me go” before jumping out of a window.
He told jurors Batool “slapped” him, adding: “You have a choice either to fight with that person or leave.
“I tried to leave but she locked the front door. I jumped through the kitchen window.”
Sharif, 42, Batool, 30, and Malik, 29, deny murder and causing or allowing the death of a child between 16 December 2022 and 9 August 2023.
The trial continues.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports7 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Environment1 year agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway