Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called for an urgent deepening of UK defence ties with Europe, emphasising the need for greater cooperation on procurement and manufacturing. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, he declared, “We are 10 years on from Brexit. We are not the Britain of the Brexit years,” to applause from the audience.
Starmer argued that the long-term threat from Russia and the necessity for Europe to assume more responsibility for its own defence require the UK to integrate more closely with European allies. He highlighted inefficiencies in fragmented industrial planning and procurement, stating, “Our economies dwarf Russia’s more than 10 times over… yet too often this adds up to less than the sum of its parts.”
The UK and France are keen to reopen talks on the UK joining Security Action for Europe, an EU rearmament scheme, after discussions stalled over entry costs. France insists the high cost is due to European Commission calculations, not French pressure. Starmer is also exploring a European Defence Mechanism, an intergovernmental body open to all European democracies, to finance joint procurement and assets.
Starmer stressed that closer UK-EU defence ties do not weaken the UK-US relationship or NATO, which he called “the most effective defence alliance we have ever known.” He added, “There is no British security without Europe and no European security without Britain.” He urged European leaders to be honest with electorates about rising defence costs.
Addressing domestic politics, Starmer claimed he emerged stronger from a turbulent week, warning against “peddlers of easy answers” on the extremes who are “soft on Russia, weak on NATO.” He concluded, “The future they offer is one of division and then capitulation. The lamps would go out across Europe once again.”
