Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is poised to deliver a stark warning that the "lamps would go out across Europe once again" should either Reform UK or the Green Party achieve political power. In a major speech scheduled for the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, the Labour leader will assert that these two parties represent a direct risk to Britain's national security and the broader stability of Europe.
A Dire Warning on Security
Sir Keir will use his platform at the prestigious international gathering to argue that Europe must reduce its dependency on the United States for defence and security matters. He will simultaneously advocate for the United Kingdom to forge closer ties with the European Union. However, a significant portion of his address is expected to be a pointed critique of Reform and the Greens, whom he views as dangerous alternatives to his own party.
Targeting the Political Extremes
The Prime Minister will characterise both parties as "the peddlers of easy answers on the extreme left and the extreme right." He plans to elaborate, stating, "It's striking that the different ends of the spectrum share so much. Soft on Russia and weak on Nato – if not outright opposed."
Sir Keir will further accuse them of being "determined to sacrifice the longstanding relationships that we want and need to build, on the altar of their ideology." He will conclude this line of argument with a dramatic historical allusion, declaring, "The future they offer is one of division and then capitulation. The lamps would go out across Europe once again. But we will not let that happen."
Fierce Rebuttals from Opponents
The planned remarks have already provoked strong reactions. A spokesman for Reform UK dismissed the speech as coming from "a weak Prime Minister on the verge of being hounded out of office by his own party." The spokesman criticised Sir Keir's defence policy, saying, "This is a man that refuses to find the money to increase defence spending and is making our country weaker and less secure."
Reform outlined its contrasting priorities, which include "rebuilding our armed forces, properly funding defence to at least 3.5% of GDP, standing up to China and Russia, and strengthening our bilateral relationships."
Meanwhile, a source within the Green Party told The Times that Sir Keir is "a caretaker Prime Minister running scared." The source accused him of "losing what's left of his authority by going abroad to a summit on our future security and making cheap smears against the Green Party, because he knows Labour have blown it in Gorton and Denton."
The By-Election Battleground
This political clash is set against the backdrop of the upcoming February 26th by-election in the Greater Manchester constituencies of Gorton and Denton. The contest is viewed as a critical test of public sentiment towards Sir Keir's government, which currently suffers from deep unpopularity in opinion polls and is entangled in scandal. The controversy involves former US ambassador Lord Peter Mandelson's connections to the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Both the Green Party and Reform UK are actively campaigning to seize the seat from Labour, which secured it in the 2024 general election with a commanding majority of over 13,000 votes. The outcome of this by-election could significantly influence the domestic political landscape and validate or undermine Sir Keir's warnings about his rivals.
