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Keir Starmer will brand Europe “a sleeping giant” as he argues that the UK’s future defence depends on deeper links with the EU. Speaking in Germany , Sir Keir will dismiss concerns that he is reversing Brexit with a warning that Britain can no longer depend on its alliance with the United States in the face of threats from Russia.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.” Sir Keir is to call for a more “European” NATO to end over-dependence on the US, in a major speech at the Munich Security Conference. He held meetings with Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron, also attending the event.

Labour says it is increasing defence spending to record levels, totalling £270 billion between 2025-26 and 2028-29, but Sir Keir will hint at more to come as he warns governments must “level” with voters about the investment needed.

He will say: “We must level with the public and build consent for the decisions we will have to take to keep us all safe. “

The Prime Minister, accompanied at the summit by foreign secretary Yvette Cooper, will also call for the EU and UK to co-operate more closely on defence manufacturing. Sir Keir will say: “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.”

British firms already account for over a quarter of the continent’s defence industrial base, Sir Keir will say.

Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel said: “Keir Starmer has a habit of handing away sovereignty and now he is once again rolling the pitch for greater EU integration and less control for the UK.

“Britain is uniquely placed to help bring the US and Europe together, ensuring NATO is as strong as possible. We must not be overdependent on America, but neither should we offer Europe with a blank cheque, prepared to accept any and all costs as Labour are.”