Starmer won’t keep us safe as UK faces most dangerous time since Cold War, warns PM as he says he’s ready to leave ECHR

BRITAIN will not be safe with Sir Keir Starmer in charge, Rishi Sunak dramatically declared today in a major pre-election pitch.

The PM also warned European judges against thwarting his Rwanda plan - because he will leave their court if needed to stop the boats.

In a highly-political speech this morning, Mr Sunak opened up dividing lines with Labour ahead of voters going to the polls later this year.

Describing global threats as the most dangerous point since the Cold War, he painted his rival as a risk to national security.

He said: "We will keep this country safe and Keir Starmer's actions show that he won't be able to do that."

Blasting Labour's refusal to match his pledge to hike defence spending, he said: "What do you think Putin thinks when he sees that?

"That he thinks the West isn't prepared to make the tough choices to invest in their security."

Mr Sunak also said the Labour leader - who has vowed to axe the Rwanda scheme - will not solve the Channel crisis by "tinkering".

Firing the starting gun on the long election campaign, he also:

• INSISTED the Tories can STILL win the next general election
• THREW the gauntlet down to Starmer for election TV debates
• WARNED the next few years will be "some of the most
• dangerous" as he outlined the threats posed to the UK by Iran, Russia and China
• ADMITTED the challenges posed by new technologies, such as AI, but said they will also offer big opportunities for the future
• BLASTED Labour, arguing Sir Keir Starmer's party has no plan for the border, energy sector or the economy
• HAILED the Rwanda deportation scheme, stressing he won't let the ECHR stand in its way
• SLAMMED the "ideological zeal" of those who want Britain to pursue green policies "no matter what the cost of disruption" to people's lives
• VOWED to end "rip-off" degrees and expand apprenticeships as he said he wants to build an education system that is "truly world class"

Mr Sunak took aim at the so-called CRINKs - China, Russia, Iran and North Korea - as an epoch-defining threat to the West.

Positioning himself as the best person to lead the country through choppy waters, he said: "There are storms ahead. The dangers are all too real.

"But Britain can feel proud again. Britain can feel confident again. Because with bold action and a clear plan, we can and we will create a secure future."

Court warning

The PM honed in on illegal immigration as the "defining challenge of our age" and said he was prepared to do battle with the European Convention of Human Rights to get flights off the ground.

He said: "The global displacement of 100 million people is a new and defining challenge of our age. But we can and will protect ourselves against illegal migration.

"Because only we conservatives have the strength to challenge conventions and do something different about it.

"Tinkering, just won't work. That's why we are pioneering the Rwanda scheme. And so when people see that if they come here illegally, they will be swiftly detained and removed, they will be deterred from making that perilous journey. Stopping the boats and saving thousands of lives.

"I know that our international frameworks are outdated. So there may be flash points ahead with the ECHR and if the Strasbourg Court make me choose between the ECHR and this country's security, I will choose our country's security every single time."

Labour's Jonathan Ashworth hit back, branding Mr Sunak's speech "another desperate" reset.

He said: "After 14 years of leaving the country less secure at home and abroad, the Tories have forfeited the right to talk about security.

“Millions of people are paying more on their mortgages, crime is going unsolved, dangerous prisoners are being let out early, the armed forces have been hollowed out and the NHS is on its knees.

"That is this government's record and the only way to turn the page and end the chaos is with a Labour government."

Mr Sunak accused Sir Keir of seeking "power at any price" without principles.

He said: "Keir Starmer has gone from embracing Jeremy Corbyn to Natalie Elphicke.”

Mr Sunak argued that the next five years will be among the most dangerous Britain has known.

We will keep this country safe and Keir Starmer's actions show that he won't be able to do that

Rishi Sunak

The PM argued the UK is at a crossroads, faced with an unprecedented onslaught of threats from tyrants Vladimir Putin in Russia, Xi Jinping in China, and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Iran.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 sparked fears of global war but ongoing conflicts involving Iran and the Middle East, China and Taiwan, and North Korea has the world holding its breath.

Now, in the major London speech, Mr Sunak declared that “almost every aspect of our lives is going to change”.

He said: “I feel a profound sense of urgency — because more will change in the next five years than in the last 30.

“I’m convinced that the next few years will be some of the most dangerous our country has ever known.”

Axis of evil

The PM described China, Russia, North Korea and Iran as an axis of authoritarian states who threaten the UK.

But insisted: “I have bold ideas that can change our society for the better.”

Mr Sunak made his pitch as a national saviour in an attempt to shrug off this month’s local election thrashing for the struggling Conservatives.

As well as threats from foreign powers, he pointed to a rise in global migration and sectarian groups trying to undermine British values as major challenges ahead.

The PM vowed to safeguard the UK against a global rise in immigration and "those seeking to undermine our shared values and identities"

Rebuilding national confidence and pride were be listed as key to prosperity and security — as well as a pledge to raise defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP.

And said: “At heart, we’re a nation of optimists. We’re not blind to the challenges or threats we face.

“We just have an innate belief that whatever they are, we can overcome them as we have done so many times in our history.”

Just last month, MI5 warned that Russia, China and Iran have been targeting British universities.

MI5 director-general Ken McCallum and National Cyber Security Centre’s acting chief executive Felicity Oswald warned hostile states posed a threat to national security.

Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer will hold talks with Labour’s expanded band of elected mayors to develop what he calls a gold standard for growing local economies.

Ahead of the meeting, he said: “My Labour government would rebuild our economy hand in hand with local leaders.

“That’s why boosting growth across every region will be top of the agenda for our devolution plans.

“We’ll turbocharge growth across our towns, cities and regions.”