Munich safety convention stay updates: Starmer warns Europe should be ‘ready to fight’ as he sends message to Trump | EUROtoday

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is now on stage in Munich for his handle, earlier than a panel dialogue.

During his handle, Sir Keir additionally outlined plans for Britain to pursue “deeper economic integration” with the European Union, aiming to “move closer to the single market” in varied sectors. He asserted that the present EU-UK “status quo is not fit for purpose,” acknowledging that such a shift would entail “trade-offs.”

Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:

In a wide-ranging speech and Q&A session on the Munich safety convention Keir Starmer touched on all the pieces from deploying UK warships to final week’s makes an attempt to oust him as prime minister and Brexit.Here are the important thing issues he stated:

• Europe “must be ready to fight” because it faces a rising risk from Russia.
• Trump ought to “be in no doubt – if called on the UK would come to your aid today”.
• A gaggle of British warships will patrol the Arctic following Trump’s threats to annex Greenland.
• The UK ought to economically align extra intently with the EU.
• “We are not the Britain of the Brexit years anymore” and must co-operate on more with Europe, and rely less on the US, on defence.
• Attacked Reform as “pro-Putin” as he accused Farage’s party and the Greens of “division and then capitulation” that would see the “the lamps go out across Europe once again”
• Denied he “narrowly missed” being toppled and said he ended this week “much stronger than I started it, and that’s a very good place to be.”

Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:

The Labour leader denied he was almost forced from office this week as he attacked Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party as pro-Putin.

Asked if he had “narrowly missed” being toppled, after the leader of Scottish Labour called on him to resign, he said: “No, I reject that. I ended the week a lot stronger than I began it, and that is an excellent place to be.”

He stated his get together and his authorities had been fully united on the query of Ukraine and defence and safety and the necessity for stronger relations with Europe on these points.

He additionally hit out at Mr Farage’s get together saying: “Reform have a different agenda, they are pro Putin. We know where they stand. Imagine if they were in government in the United Kingdom… We would not be seen as a leader on the European or international stage. We would be seen as a country that people couldn’t do business with.”

The prime minister says on stage that Reform is “pro-Putin” and we “would be seen as a country that people could not do business with”.

Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:

The PM used his speech in Munich to say the UK should more closely align with the EU economically.

He said the UK should “move closer to the single market” in certain markets, where it was in the interest of both sides.

His message comes just months before the tenth anniversary of the Brexit referendum result which took the UK out of the EU.

Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:

The Labour leader hit out at Reform UK and the Green Party, describing them as “the peddlers of easy answers on the extreme left and the extreme right” and claiming that the future they offer would see “the lamps … go out across Europe once again”, a reference to the chilling remark made by the then foreign secretary Sir Edward Grey before the First World War.

He said: “It’s putting that the totally different ends of the spectrum share a lot. Soft on Russia and weak on Nato – if not outright opposed. And decided to sacrifice the longstanding relationships that we wish and have to construct, on the altar of their ideology.

“The future they provide is one among division after which capitulation. The lamps would exit throughout Europe as soon as once more. But we is not going to let that occur.”

Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:

Sir Keir Starmer acquired a spherical of applause as he instructed world leaders that Britain’s “Brexit years” are over and referred to as for nearer safety ties with Europe – and fewer reliance on Donald Trump’s United States.

The Prime Minister added: “Because we know that in a dangerous world, we would not take control by turning inward, we would surrender it, and I won’t let that happen.

“That’s why I dedicate time as Prime Minister to Britain’s management on the world stage, and that is why I’m right here at this time, as a result of I’m clear there isn’t a British safety with out Europe and no European safety with out Britain.

“That is the lesson of history, and is today’s reality as well.”

Sir Keir Starmer insisted the UK would honour the Nato dedication to defend its allies if referred to as upon.

One of the alliance’s founding ideas, Article 5, is that an assault on one Nato member is an assault on all.

US president Donald Trump has questioned whether or not the US’s European companions would reply the decision if it had been made at this time.

The prime minister sought to dispel this doubt.

He stated: “I am proud that my party fought for Nato’s creation, what our then-foreign secretary Ernie Bevin, called a spiritual union of the West.

“And we’ve shown our fidelity to that ideal, asserting each other’s sovereignty as we did on Greenland, and crucially, coming to each other’s aid under article five, we fought together in Afghanistan at terrible cost to many in my country and across many allied countries.

“So I say to all Nato members, our commitment to article five is as profound now as ever, and be in no doubt, if called on, the UK would come to your aid today.”