Europe must shift from overdependence on the United States and towards a more European NATO, underpinned by deeper links between the UK and the EU, the Prime Minister will say today [Saturday 14 February].
In a speech at the Munich Security Conference, he will argue that in the face of the looming threat from Russia, the UK’s future prosperity and security rest on closer defence and security ties with Europe, and vice versa.
The Prime Minister is expected 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.
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He will say that the US remains an indispensable ally, and they have made an unparalleled contribution to European security. But as their own national security posture evolves, Europe must shift from overdependence to interdependence – forging a new path towards sovereign deterrence and hard power.
He will add
I’m talking about a vision of European security and greater European autonomy, that does not herald US withdrawal but answers the call for more burden sharing in full, and remakes the ties that have served us so well.
Arguing that Europe’s fragmented defence industrial base has contributed to gaps and duplication – he will say that leaders must focus on collective effort to build a stronger, more integrated defence capability, backed by historic increases in spending.
British companies already account for over a quarter of the continent’s defence industrial base. They are a job-creating, community-building machine, employing around 239,000 people across the UK –
We want to bring our leadership in defence, tech and AI together with Europe – to multiply our strengths and build a shared industrial base across Europe which can turbocharge our defence production.
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As I see it – 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.
To meet the threats we face, the UK defence budget is rising to record levels – delivering the biggest boost to defence spending since the Cold War, totalling £270 billion this parliament alone. In his speech, the Prime Minister will also signal the UK’s willingness to participate in innovative joint solutions alongside European partners to accelerate new defence investment and ensure spending increases are used to their full potential.
He will also point to the UK’s existing bilateral co-operation – including our £10 billion deal with Norway to supply their Navy with frigates, our £8 billion Typhoon deal with Turkey, and ongoing collaboration with Germany, Italy and France to deliver next generation long-range missiles – as a signal for what could be achieved by joint work on a greater scale, all while delivering jobs and growth at home.
He will add
We must level with the public and build consent for the decisions we will have to take to keep us all safe.
Because, if we don’t, the peddlers of easy answers on the extreme left and the extreme right are ready. They will offer their solutions instead.
It’s striking that the different ends of the spectrum share so much. Soft on Russia and weak on NATO – if not outright opposed.
And determined to sacrifice the longstanding relationships that we want and need to build, on the altar of their ideology.
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.
If we want to repair our social fabric, if we believe in our values, in democracy, liberty, the rule of law, then this is the moment to stand up and fight for them, and prove that they are worth fighting for.
That’s why we must work together and show that by taking responsibility for our own security. In a volatile world, we help our people look forward not with fear, but with determination – and hope.