Keir Starmer on Putin, Trump and Europe’s Challenge: ‘We’ve Known This Moment Was Coming’

The British prime minister said in a series of conversations that the tectonic shifts in America’s relationship with Europe and Russia had to be a ‘galvanizing moment.’

With a staccato burst, a horn sounded in the control room of the H.M.S. Vanguard, sending the crew of the nuclear-armed Royal Navy submarine to battle stations. The voice of the commanding officer crackled over the intercom. “Set condition 1SQ,” he said, ordering its battery of ballistic missiles to be readied for launch.

It was just a drill, conducted last Monday for a visiting V.I.P., Prime Minister Keir Starmer. But Mr. Starmer had reason to pay close attention when he was shown where the submarine’s launch key is stored: The prime minister is the only person in the United Kingdom authorized to order a nuclear strike.

“You’re looking for the ideal conditions?” Mr. Starmer asked softly, as the captain explained how the Vanguard must be maneuvered to the right depth to launch its Trident missiles. Mr. Starmer leaned forward in the captain’s chair, the blue glow from a bank of screens reflected in his eyeglasses.

Later, after he had climbed a 32-foot ladder to the submarine’s deck, Mr. Starmer reflected on its nearly seven-month-long mission. Prowling silently in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean, it is designed to deter a nuclear conflict with Russia (at least one of the four Vanguard-class submarines is always on patrol). At a time when Europe’s capacity to defend itself has come under criticism, not least from President Trump, Mr. Starmer said these mighty boats were an ironclad symbol of Britain’s commitment to NATO.

“Twenty-four hours, 365 days, year after year after year, for 55 years,” Mr. Starmer told me after we had cast off and the Vanguard steamed toward its home port in Scotland. “It has kept the peace for a very long time.”