Keir Starmer calls for nearer defence hyperlinks with EU – ‘Brexit years are over’ | Politics | News | EUROtoday

Keir Starmer will model Europe “a sleeping giant” as he argues that the UK’s future defence will depend on deeper hyperlinks with the EU. Speaking in Germany , Sir Keir will dismiss issues that he’s reversing Brexit with a warning that Britain can not rely on its alliance with the United States within the face of threats from Russia.The Prime Minister is predicted to say: “We are not the Britain of the Brexit years anymore. Because we know that, in dangerous times, we would not take control by turning inward – we would surrender it. And I won’t let that happen.

“There is no British security without Europe, and no European security without Britain. That is the lesson of history – and it is today’s reality too.” Sir Keir is to name for a extra “European” NATO to finish over-dependence on the US, in a significant speech on the Munich Security Conference. He held conferences with Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron, additionally attending the occasion.

Labour says it’s rising defence spending to report ranges, totalling £270 billion between 2025-26 and 2028-29, however Sir Keir will trace at extra to come back as he warns governments should “level” with voters concerning the funding wanted.

He will say: “We must level with the public and build consent for the decisions we will have to take to keep us all safe. “

The Prime Minister, accompanied at the summit by foreign secretary Yvette Cooper, will also call for the EU and UK to co-operate more closely on defence manufacturing. Sir Keir will say: “Europe is a sleeping giant. Our economies dwarf Russia’s, ten times over.

“We have huge defence capabilities. Yet, too often, all of this has added up to less than the sum of its parts.

“Across Europe, fragmented industrial planning and long, drawn out procurement mechanisms have led to gaps in some areas – and massive duplication in others.”

British companies already account for over 1 / 4 of the continent’s defence industrial base, Sir Keir will say.

Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel mentioned: “Keir Starmer has a behavior of handing away sovereignty and now he’s as soon as once more rolling the pitch for higher EU integration and fewer management for the UK.

“Britain is uniquely positioned to assist convey the US and Europe collectively, making certain NATO is as robust as doable. We should not be overdependent on America, however neither ought to we provide Europe with a clean cheque, ready to just accept any and all prices as Labour are.”