Never Heard of NATO? UK Left Wants ‘Security Pact’ Between Brexit Britain and EU

Britain's Labour party MP David Lammy addresses the Peoples Vote Rally: "The wind is chang
TOLGA AKMEN/AFP via Getty Images
Kurt Zindulka

The left-wing party Labour Party has called for post-Brexit Britain to join a security pact with the European Union, citing concerns over Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Despite Britain and Prime Minister Boris Johnson being singled out by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as having been more supportive than other EU leaders and nations, the Labour Party has argued that in order to “make Brexit work”, the UK should become more integrated with European foreign policy.

In leaked comments to The Independent ahead of an address to the Institute for Global Leadership in Boston, Labour’s anti-Brexit shadow foreign secretary David Lammy argued the British government should agree to a “a new UK-EU security pact” so that the UK would be able to quickly “deploy forces around Europe”.

Lammy, who shared the leaked comments on social media, said in his speech during his visit to the United States: “The government has pursued an Indo-Pacific tilt, but it must not do so at the cost of our commitments to European security.”

“We need to put past Brexit divisions behind us, stop seeking rows with European partners, and use this moment to explore all possibilities to renew relations with European allies through a new UK-EU security pact.”

“Britain has left the EU. The task now is to make Brexit work.”

The far-left politician said that “as war ravages parts of our continent” it is critical for Britain to lead with “soft power” by restoring cuts to foreign aid, as well as promoting the BBC World Service and the left-wing globalist British Council.

Lammy also called for the end of defence spending cuts, as well as £28 billion per year to be devoted to so-called green energy investments in order to supposedly make Britain less dependent on authoritarian nations for energy.

So far, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has shied away from agreeing to come to a security pact with the European Union on the grounds that Britain’s foreign policy should be independently operated after Brexit and that NATO should be the forum for collective European defence.

Mr Johnson’s predecessor, Prime Minister Theresa May — an opponent of the Brexit movement — had argued in favour of coming to a security agreement with the bloc, claiming that there would be “damaging real-world consequences” should a military, intelligence, and counter-terrorism treaty not be singed with the EU.

While the UK officially gained its independence from the European Union in 2020, the two powers are still closely aligned militarily under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) which counts the vast majority of EU countries as members.

Since 2014 the UK, with the exception of Greece and Poland, has been the only European Nation to consistently spend the required 2 per cent of GDP on military spending. Major European powers, notably Germany, have previously been criticised by then-President Donald Trump for failing to meet their obligations while being under the protection of the United States military umbrella.

Following the invasion of Ukraine, Germany finally committed to meeting its NATO spending requirements.

Follow Kurt Zindulka on Twitter here @KurtZindulka

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