British premier visits nuclear-armed submarine

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday boarded a nuclear-armed submarine as it returned from one of the longest-ever deterrent patrols.

HMS Vanguard remained at sea for more than 200 days, a record-length deployment that would have placed significant strain on both the crew and the aging vessel.

The prolonged patrol underscores the increasing challenges of maintaining the Royal Navy’s nuclear deterrent fleet, which is facing difficulties in rotating its submarines efficiently.

It marks the first time in more than a decade that a British prime minister has visited one of the Royal Navy’s four nuclear-armed submarines as it returned from a deterrent patrol—an event known as "Day Zero."

The visit coincided with a meeting of senior military officers from a "coalition of the willing" at a UK military headquarters near London.

The gathering aimed to discuss plans for an international force that could be deployed to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire with Russia.

Starmer is expected to attend part of the discussions.

Video footage released by the Ministry of Defense showed the prime minister and Defense Secretary John Healey using binoculars as they sailed out to meet HMS Vanguard.

The submarine had surfaced in UK waters off Scotland earlier in the week following its extensive patrol, reportedly lasting 204 days.

The ministry has not officially confirmed the exact duration of the deployment.