UK to expand nuclear deterrent with US fighter jets capable of carrying warheads

Starmer to unveil purchase of 12 F-35A jets that can deliver tactical nuclear weapons, which may be kept at RAF bases

The UK is to substantially expand its nuclear deterrent by buying a squadron of American-made fighter jets that are capable of delivering US tactical warheads that are likely to be stored on British soil.

The announcement by Keir Starmer at the Nato summit marks the most significant change in Britain's nuclear posture since the end of the cold war, with US bombs set to return to the UK, and is bound to provoke alarm among arms control experts and campaigners.