Helen Maguire MP welcomes Govt backing of Lib Dem calls on defence pact at major UK-EU summit

Defence Spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats, Helen Maguire MP has welcomed the new UK-EU defence pact, agreed at a major summit on 19 May, following weeks of pressure from the Liberal Democrats – who are now urging Starmer to get to work on implementing the agreement.

The Defence Spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats has welcomed plans announced at today’s UK-EU summit, after urgent calls for better cross-Channel cooperation on defence and security.

Starmer announced that the UK and EU had agreed to a new Security and Defence Partnership, setting out how the UK defence industry will be able to participate in the EU’s Security Action for Europe (SAFE) defence fund. “At a time of increasing global uncertainty and volatility, this will formalise UK-EU co-operation on defence to ensure Europe’s safety and security”, said Number 10.

The Liberal Democrats called for a defence and security agreement with the EU in its July 2024 general election manifesto and have continued to push the Government to forge closer ties with Europe on defence. Putin’s barbaric war in Ukraine and Donald Trump’s “bull in a china shop” approach to global security and stability has “raised the stakes” on the need to work closely with reliable European partners, says Helen Maguire.

The Liberal Democrat MP for Epsom & Ewell has hailed the shift in position from the Government as a “major win”, while pushing for Starmer to turn “fine words” into actions when it comes to EU-UK cooperation on defence.

The party is also calling for the Government to see today’s agreement as a first step, and that Starmer must be ambitious in seeking to negotiate a new, bespoke Customs Union agreement with the EU which will unlock new growth and opportunities across the UK.

Defence Spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats, Helen Maguire MP said: 

“Today is a significant step forward for our nation’s security. I am pleased by the progress made today to formalise this new pact. Deepening our military & security partnerships is a win-win for both the UK and EU, and it is integral to our future collective security.

“I and my Liberal Democrat colleagues have been hounding the Government to agree a defence pact with partners in Europe for months. Donald Trump’s bull-in-a-china-shop approach to global security has raised the importance of the UK aligning with our allies in Europe, so I’m glad to see the Prime Minister finally listen to our common-sense plans on this.

“Now Starmer needs to make sure this summit isn’t just empty rhetoric. He must go further and faster to secure the UK’s associate membership of the European Defence Agency (EDA) to boost our defence cooperation and enhance our interoperability with our European partners.