Sir Keir Starmer will be invited to meet EU leaders to discuss European security as Brussels seeks closer ties with the UK, in a significant post-Brexit move.
The British prime minister will be asked to dine with the leaders of the 27 member states at an informal retreat in Belgium on February 3 by António Costa, incoming president of the European Council, two EU officials said.
Nick Thomas-Symonds, the UK minister in charge of negotiations for a post-Brexit “reset” of relations with the EU, met Costa this week in Brussels.
No British premier has attended such a gathering since the country left the bloc in 2020. The invite is a milestone as Starmer attempts to “reset” Britain’s relations with the EU after years of strained ties.
Starmer wants a security pact with Brussels, covering defence, energy and irregular migration, as a key element of his attempt to improve on the post-Brexit framework agreed by former Conservative prime minister Boris Johnson.
[…] Starmer’s invitation to discuss defence with the EU27 is a reflection of the fact that the UK has one of the most advanced military and intelligence capabilities in Europe.
The February meeting also comes as European capitals come to terms with a potential change to the continent’s security framework, with the return of Donald Trump to the White House in January.
Unfortunately we haven’t left Europe, geographically speaking, yet.
We just need to get everyone to the east coast with sticks and we’ll push off
Will it work?
I would feel much better about closer security ties with Europe than with the US.
Has he ever been in a fight, though?
