
"We will serve our warriors as well as they serve us" Keir Starmer writes
All the freedom and comforts we enjoy at home are secured by them. For that, we owe them not just our thanks and respect, but also our support.
So that's what this government is doing.
With our historic commitment to spend 5% of GDP on national security by 2035, we are backing our brave men and women in uniform like never before.
We're putting the Armed Forces Covenant fully into law for the first time – putting support for our warriors and veterans on a legal footing, as we promised in our Manifesto.
And we've already acted.
We've given the Armed Forces the biggest pay rise in 20 years.
We're improving housing for soldiers and their families.
And we're giving better support for our veterans in need – because those who have given the most, such as the injured or bereaved, should always be the priority.
Our service men and women are the best there is – and they deserve the best from us.
That's what we're striving to give them – during and after their service.
Not just homes for heroes – but better weapons for our warriors, salaries for our soldiers, and careers for our Commandos.
That is our commitment – that the nation will serve our warriors as well as they serve the nation.
On Armed Forces Day, the whole country should get behind that effort – and take a moment to say a heartfelt: thank you.
Follow our Mirror Politics account on Bluesky here. And follow our Mirror Politics team here - Lizzy Buchan, Mikey Smith, Kevin Maguire, Sophie Huskisson, Dave Burke and Ashley Cowburn.
Be first to get the biggest bombshells and breaking news by joining our Politics WhatsApp group here. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you want to leave our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Or sign up here to the Mirror's Politics newsletter for all the best exclusives and opinions straight to your inbox.
And listen to our exciting new political podcast The Division Bell, hosted by the Mirror and the Express every Thursday.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Pakistan says it wins US tariff deal; Trump cites oil reserves pact
WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD, July 31 (Reuters) - The United States and Pakistan said they had clinched a deal that Islamabad described as leading to lower tariffs on its exports, while President Donald Trump trumpeted a pact to help develop the South Asian nation's oil reserves. Neither mentioned the tariff rate agreed. Pakistan, which Washington has designated a "major non-NATO ally" in its effort to counter rival China's influence in the region, faced a potential tariff of 29% declared in April that was later suspended for 90 days to allow trade talks. "We have just concluded a Deal with the Country of Pakistan, whereby Pakistan and the United States will work together on developing their massive Oil Reserves," Trump wrote on social media. "We are in the process of choosing the Oil Company that will lead this Partnership." He gave no further details. Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar also confirmed the deal. "Deal concluded," he told Reuters, without elaborating. Although Trump did not mention a tariff deal, Pakistan's finance ministry said on Thursday it would lead to "reduction of reciprocal tariffs, especially on Pakistani exports to the United States", but stopped short of revealing the figure. "This deal marks the beginning of a new era of economic collaboration especially in energy, mines and minerals, IT, cryptocurrency and other sectors," it said. The deal was a win-win situation for both nations, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, who led the final round of talks in Washington, said in video remarks. "From our perspective, it was always going beyond the immediate trade imperative, and its whole purpose was, and is, that trade and investment have to go hand in hand," he added in the statement from his office. Last week, Dar said both nations were "very close" to a trade deal that could come within days, after he met Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday. They discussed expanding trade and ties in critical minerals and mining, the two sides said afterwards. Other Pakistani officials have also visited for talks in recent weeks. Under Trump, Washington has sought to renegotiate trade deals with many countries which he threatened with tariffs for trade relations he calls unfair, a characterization many economists dispute. U.S. total goods trade with Pakistan was an estimated $7.3 billion in 2024, the office of the U.S. trade representative says on its website, up from about $6.9 billion in 2023. In 2024, its goods trade deficit with Pakistan was $3 billion, up 5.2% from 2023. Trump also said Washington was still negotiating with India on trade after he declared a tariff of 25% on goods imported from Pakistan's arch foe would start from Friday. Pakistan recently said it "appreciated the pivotal role" of Trump and Rubio "in de-escalating tensions between Pakistan and India by facilitating a ceasefire." Trump has repeatedly taken credit for the India-Pakistan ceasefire he announced on social media on May 10 after Washington's talks with both sides. India disputes Trump's claims that the ceasefire resulted from his intervention and trade threats. India's position is that New Delhi and Islamabad must resolve problems directly with no outside involvement. The latest escalation in the decades-old India-Pakistan rivalry was triggered by a deadly April 22 militant attack in India-administered Kashmir that India blamed on Pakistan. Islamabad denied responsibility. India struck Pakistan on May 7 and they exchanged deadly hostilities until the ceasefire.

The National
17 hours ago
- The National
Trump acts like a tinpot Caesar demanding tribute from his vassals
His recent sojourn to Turnberry, that gilded monument to his vulgarity, was not a diplomatic mission but a thuggish display of extortion, a brazen shakedown of Europe's ruling elites by a man whose grasp of statecraft is as profound as his understanding of basic syntax. Trump, that oafish imbecile, that blustering buffoon, conducts himself not as a statesman but as a swaggering mob boss, squeezing concessions from his subordinates with all the subtlety of a knee-capping enforcer. His meeting with Ursula von der Leyen was less a negotiation than a ritual humiliation, as the European Commission president prostrated herself before the whims of an American imperialist regime that views trade not as mutual exchange but as plunder. READ MORE: Scottish Labour councillor suspended for 'bullying' member of the public The resulting 'deal' is a grotesque farce – Europe, trembling before its mercantile overlord, agrees to higher tariffs, coerced purchases of US goods, and the funnelling of billions into the maw of the American war machine. This is not diplomacy; it is tribute exacted by a gangster. And what of Keir Starmer, that eager supplicant, scurrying to Turnberry to kiss the ring of his transatlantic patron? His obsequiousness was met with the usual Trumpian blend of ignorance and malice – vague platitudes on Ukraine, half-brained mutterings on Gaza, and the usual litany of lies about stolen aid and imaginary victories. Starmer, ever the loyal vassal, could do little but nod along, his own political fortunes tethered to the whims of a man who views international relations as a protection racket. But let us not mistake this for mere farce. The stakes are dire. The European bourgeoisie, though seething at their subjugation, dare not defy their American paymasters, for fear of provoking an all-out trade war – or worse, losing the military backing that sustains their own imperialist ventures in Ukraine. They are trapped in a spiral of their own making, forced to bankroll US arms shipments, to prop up Nato's blood-soaked adventures, all while their own workers face the coming storm of economic devastation. History teaches us that empires built on extortion do not endure. The Roman tax farmers, the Habsburg enforcers, the British East India Company – all eventually crumbled beneath the weight of their own rapacity. Trump's gangster diplomacy is no different. It will end the same way. Alan Hinnrichs Dundee ON Monday, we were informed on BBC Scotland that a celebration had taken place in respect of the 70th anniversary of the opening of the Dounreay nuclear power plant. In attendance was a chap calling himself King Charles and a non-Scottish manager of the site who made me feel squeamish as I listened to his sycophantic fawning over the said King's attendance. Can I just clarify the background to this development back in 1955? The idea of developing nuclear energy at that time was filled with the possibility of a major disaster happening. The year, 1955, was just a decade after the horrific Hiroshima and Nagasaki tragedies. Nuclear weapons and power production were issues of dread for the general population. So, if this development was going to happen, where should it go? Obviously, Westminster decided that it should be located as far away from London as possible. Look at your map and you will see that Dounreay is as far from London as you can get without ending up in the Pentland Firth. The residents of Thurso and Wick would be obliterated if anything untoward happened, but they were expendable. In fact, probably most of Scotland would end up the same way. I was a wee boy in a small rural Highland primary school back in the mid-50s. I well remember the gift we were all given at that school. It was a glossy magazine with the front cover showing the impressive Dounreay dome. It was designed at deflecting attention from the dangers and promoting the idea that we were at the cutting edge of technology. I believe all schoolkids up here would have been given a copy too, so that our minds would be shaped to accept this thing that terrified those down south. A few jobs were created for workers at Dounreay but that was insignificant compared to the perceived dangers. Along with the nonsensical Protect And Survive booklet that was distributed at that time regarding saving yourself in the event of a nuclear attack, this magazine that we children received was just government propaganda to influence, lie to and control the population. Officials must have been laughing to themselves as they prepared them. Today, they still use the same methods and our voters are still inclined to believe them. Without truth, what hope is there for Scotland or even society at large? Alasdair Forbes Farr, Inverness-shire THE statement by Keir Starmer that the UK would move to recognise a Palestinian state, if Israel did not agree to a ceasefire and take steps to end the war, is more than a little contradictory given previous statements. The statement noted that Palestinian statehood is the 'inalienable right of the Palestinian people' and the UK Government is committed to delivering a two-state solution, with a 'safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state'. It therefore seems rather odd that, despite a previous commitment to recognising a Palestinian state, this should now come with conditions attached. Alex Orr Edinburgh


Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Daily Mirror
Donald Trump confirms Jeffrey Epstein 'stole' his most well-known victim from him
Trump has given more details about the events that led to his falling out with America's most notorious paedophile, Jeffrey Epstein - and a well-known victim he claims Epstein "stole" from him Donald Trump has claimed Jeffrey Epstein "stole" his most well-known victim from him. The US President described for the first time during his trip to Scotland on Monday the events that led to his falling out with former friend Epstein. He told reporters during a Q&A session with Keir Starmer that the bust-up had been caused by Epstein doing something "inappropriate" - namely, poaching staff from him. Trump said he'd told him not to do it once, but that Epstein had repeated the behaviour, and so he'd ordered him to stay away from his Mar A Lago club in Florida's Palm Beach. As the Mirror noted the same day, Epstein's most well known victim, Virginia Giuffre, was allegedly 'hired' by Ghislaine Maxwell for Epstein while she was working in Trump's spa at Mar A Lago. And flying back to Washington from Scotland last night on Air Force One, Trump confirmed she was one of the people he'd been talking about the previous day. Trump has faced an outcry over his refusal to release more records about Epstein after promises of transparency, a rare example of strain within Trump World. Maxwell, who is currently serving 20 years for trafficking young girls for Epstein, was interviewed inside a Florida courthouse by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche - who was previously Trump's personal lawyer. The Justice Department has not revealed what he and Maxwell discussed. Her lawyers said Tuesday that she's willing to answer more questions from Congress if she is granted immunity from future prosecution for her testimony and if lawmakers agree to satisfy other conditions. During his trip to Scotland, Trump repeatedly refused to rule out offering Maxwell a presidential pardon. Aboard Air Force One last night, Trump said he was upset that Epstein was "taking people who worked for me." The women, he said, were "taken out of the spa, hired by him - in other words, gone." "I said, listen, we don't want you taking our people," Trump said. When it happened again, Trump said he banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago. Asked if Giuffre was one of the employees poached by Epstein, he demurred but then said "he stole her." The White House originally said Trump banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago because he was acting like a "creep." Giuffre died by suicide earlier this year. She claimed that Maxwell spotted her working as a spa attendant at Mar-a-Lago in 2000, when she was a teenager, and hired her as Epstein's masseuse, which led to sexual abuse. It's thought Trump's friendship with Epstein broke down years later, around 2004. Although Giuffre's allegations did not become part of criminal prosecutions against Epstein, she is central to conspiracy theories about the case. She accused Epstein of pressuring her into having sex with powerful men. Maxwell, who has denied Giuffre's allegations, is serving a 20-year-prison sentence in a Florida federal prison for conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse underage girls. A spokeswoman for the House Oversight Committee, which requested the interview with Maxwell, said the panel would not consider granting the immunity she requested. The potential interview is part of a frenzied, renewed interest in the Epstein saga following the Justice Department's statement earlier this month that it would not be releasing any additional records from the investigation, an abrupt announcement that stunned online sleuths, conspiracy theorists and elements of Trump's political base who had been hoping to find proof of a government coverup. Since then, the Trump administration has sought to present itself as promoting transparency, with the department urging courts to unseal grand jury transcripts from the sex-trafficking investigations. A judge in Florida last week rejected the request, though similar requests are pending in New York. In a letter Tuesday, Maxwell's attorneys said that though their initial instinct was for Maxwell to invoke her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, they are open to having her cooperate provided that lawmakers satisfy their request for immunity and other conditions. But the Oversight Committee seemed to reject that offer outright. 'The Oversight Committee will respond to Ms. Maxwell's attorney soon, but it will not consider granting congressional immunity for her testimony," a spokesperson said. Separately, Maxwell's attorneys have urged the Supreme Court to review her conviction, saying she did not receive a fair trial. They also say that one way she would testify 'openly and honestly, in public,' is in the event of a pardon by Trump, who has told reporters that such a move is within his rights but that he has not been not asked to do it. 'She welcomes the opportunity to share the truth and to dispel the many misconceptions and misstatements that have plagued this case from the beginning,' the lawyers said.