British PM to tell Munich Security Conference that Europe together is ‘sleeping giant’ and will say UK won’t turn away from its allies
Keir Starmer will say the UK and Europe need to step up their commitments to Nato and avoid the risk of overdependence on the US for defence, as he sets out one of the main planks of his foreign policy vision on Saturday.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, the prime minister will warn against the idea of the UK turning inwards on security, instead calling for a focus on what he will call the “sleeping giant” of shared European defence capabilities.
The speech warns that voters will need to be primed to expect greater spending on defence, and to be told the reasons why, or face the “peddlers of easy answers” such as Reform UK and the Greens risking national security.
Downing Street officials stress that Starmer’s call is not being made over fears that the US is no longer committed to Nato, and is more a response to demands from Washington that European nations commit more to defence.
