UK PM Starmer in Italy stresses importance of fighter jet programme

ROME (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday stressed the importance of a fighter jet programme with Italy and Japan after speculation that his new government could axe its participation in the scheme in a defence review.

Starmer met Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni for talks in Rome on Monday, which covered defence issues including the two countries' participation in the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), known in Britain as Tempest.

"We agreed the vital importance of our collaborative defence programmes, including GCAP, for our shared national security interests and respective defence industrial capabilities, and we welcome the continued progress we are making," the leaders said in a joint declaration after the meeting.

Amid speculation that Britain's involvement in GCAP could be axed in a defence review, Starmer in July emphasised the programme's importance but didn't guarantee continued involvement.

Starmer said on Monday that the project came up "a number of times today" as he also met the chairman of defence firm Leonardo, which is involved in the GCAP fighter jet project and which during the trip announced an investment of 435 million pounds ($574.50 million) in its UK business.

"GCAP is a very important project and I had the opportunity to make that clear, both publicly and here in private," Starmer told reporters shortly before he left Italy.

"Obviously, we have a strategic defence review. But that's not focused on any particular capability. GCAP is important and I've been able to make that clear today."

Defence firms including Leonardo and BAE Systems involved in delivering GCAP have said that the project is progressing and they expect it to continue under the new government.

($1 = 0.7572 pounds)

(Reporting by Alistair Smout; Editing by Catarina Demony and Leslie Adler)