Starmer's EU defence push faces sovereignty and cost questions
At the Munich Security Conference, Keir Starmer proposed closer UK-EU security links via a multinational defence initiative and a SAFE-style borrowing scheme to cut rearmament costs amid threats from Russia and China. Critics warn the plan could replicate a fiscal-union-like framework that drags Britain into EU debt schemes, risks taxpayer exposure, and rests on EU decision-making that may be ill-suited for a broad, NATO-aligned defence. The piece argues for a NATO-plus approach outside the EU and cautions against Eurobond-style financing and deeper EU entanglements.
