UK forces board sanctioned Russian oil tanker in English Channel for the first time, says Keir Starmer - UK politics live

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of UK politics. The British armed forces intercepted a Russian shadow fleet vessel in the English Channel in the early hours of Sunday morning, the UK’s prime minister, Keir Starmer, has said.

Royal Marine commandos and specially trained law enforcement officers from the National Crime Agency boarded a sanctioned oil tanker during a six-hour operation, according to the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

The vessel, Smyrtos, will be held and monitored for any environmental or safety concerns off the south coast of England as investigations continue, the MoD added.

In a statement, Starmer said: “This operation delivers yet another blow to Russia and reminds those fuelling (President Vladimir) Putin’s war in Ukraine that they cannot hide.”

double quotation mark Operations like this require skill, professionalism and courage. I pay tribute to our armed forces personnel and all those involved.

Russia relies on its shadow fleet to fund their conflict in Ukraine and our interdiction delivers a blow to Putin’s illegal war.

The incident comes days after the former armed forces minister, Al Carns, and defence secretary, John Healey, resigned their posts after a protracted row over the defence investment plan (Dip). They said the plan, which has faced repeated delays, is seriously underfunded and falls short of what the defence department needs to keep Britain safe at such a volatile time.

Healey said the government was only willing to give an extra £10bn in additional funding, a figure he said is well below what is needed amid the threat from Russia and other major security challenges.