Britain’s new prime minister, Keir Starmer, emphasized European unity on Thursday, advocating for deeper defense and security cooperation to support Ukraine and shared intelligence to combat illegal migration.
Speaking at the European Political Community (EPC) meeting at Blenheim Palace, Starmer highlighted the development of stronger relationships at the summit.
This gathering marks the beginning of his efforts to reset post-Brexit ties with the European Union.
Starmer’s push for closer cooperation comes amid the potential election of Donald Trump, who, with his running mate J.D.
Vance, has suggested reducing U.S. support for Ukraine, potentially leaving Europe to fill the gap.
“We are going to deepen our cooperation on defence and security and on illegal migration, where we are resetting our approach,” Starmer stated at the EPC, a group distinct from the EU created after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
“I’m proud to leave this summit with stronger relationships across Europe and to leave the EPC in a stronger position,” said Starmer, who assumed office two weeks ago following a Labour Party victory that ended 14 years of Conservative rule.
He offered European leaders a clean slate, distancing himself from the previous government, which had considered withdrawing from an international human rights treaty and sending asylum seekers to Rwanda.
“We are going to smash the (migrant trafficking) gangs … and we’ll do this, not by committing taxpayer money to gimmicks but with practical solutions that are in line with international law,” he affirmed.
Following his first international trip as prime minister to NATO in Washington, Starmer urged Europe to increase support for Ukraine.
The summit committed to cracking down on Russia’s “shadow fleet” of oil tankers evading sanctions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on Western allies to permit long-range strikes on Russia, particularly military airfields.
NATO members have varied in their approach to Ukraine’s use of supplied weapons, but NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced a command in Germany operational from September to better coordinate military support.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin drew criticism, suggested that the solution to the Ukraine war lies at the negotiating table. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz countered that Orban’s views were his own, not the EU’s.
Starmer is determined to reset EU ties post-Brexit, though he does not foresee Britain rejoining the single market or customs union. European leaders welcomed his defense cooperation plans, with French President Emmanuel Macron calling it “a great opportunity for a reset.”
At Blenheim Palace, Starmer announced Britain would enhance its presence in Europol and allocate £84 million ($109 million) for aid projects to curb illegal migration to the UK.
“I’m really pleased that most of the leaders, if not all of them, are leaving here with a sense of renewed confidence in their relationship with the UK,” Starmer said, before hosting Macron for dinner.