UK in major defence pact with Norway

BRITAIN and Norway are to sign a defence pact that will see their navies operate a combined fleet of warships to hunt Russian submarines in the North Atlantic.

- BY FRANCES MILLAR

The deal is aimed at protecting critical undersea cables under increasing threat from Moscow, with a 30% rise in its vessels sighted in UK waters in the past two years.

The Ministry of Defence announcement comes as Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosts his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Store at Scotland’s RAF Lossiemouth today.

The two leaders will hear from P-8 maritime air patrol crews who have been tracking Kremlin vessels, including the spy ship Yantar, which recently pointed lasers at one of the aircraft.

The deal is underpinned by a £10billion UK-Norway warship deal signed in September. Type 26 frigates will be built at the BAE Systems yard in Glasgow and will allow a fleet of at least 13 antisubmarine ships from both countries — at least five of which will be Norwegian — to operate jointly in northern Europe.