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Sir Keir Starmer has warned that Europe must move away from over-dependence on the US for its security and accept greater “burden sharing” as he signalled the western alliance had to be “remade”.

The UK prime minister used a speech at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday to set out his appetite for closer integration between Britain and Europe on defence.

He called for a new multilateral defence initiative that could oversee joint weapons procurement and drive down the costs of rearmament, as first reported by the FT.

“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,” Starmer said in a discussion session alongside European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.

Von der Leyen, speaking before Starmer, called Britain “an unflinching ally and friend”.

“In this acutely volatile time, Europe and in particular the UK should come closer together . . . 10 years from Brexit our futures are as bound as ever,” she said. “It is in our common interest to be ambitious about our partnership. Because the EU, the UK . . . we are in this together. And we will always stick together.”

Starmer set out a vision of security for the continent that involves “greater European autonomy” and “does not herald US withdrawal but answers the call for more burden sharing in full, and remakes the ties that have served us so well”.

The common theme of the crowded series of meetings and speeches at the Munich conference was the erosion of the international order and the rise of great power politics. It comes after Donald Trump’s tumultuous first year of his second US presidential term.

In his speech, Starmer acknowledged that Washington’s defence posture is evolving, following the publication in December of the US national security strategy.

London and other European capitals must seek to build a more integrated defence capability, he said, arguing the continent’s fragmented defence industrial base and drawn-out procurement mechanisms have fuelled duplication and left gaps.

He highlighted Britain’s deals to supply Norway with frigates and Turkey with Typhoon fighter jets, as well as London’s collaboration on next-generation long-range missiles with Berlin, Rome and Paris — while stressing that more must be done as the threat from Russia increases.

In particular, he set out his appetite to participate in joint initiatives with European partners to accelerate new defence investment and ensure additional cash is used most effectively.

At present “Europe is a sleeping giant” with defence capabilities that add up to less than the sum of its parts, Starmer said, while stressing that collectively the economies of the continent are 10 times bigger than Russia’s.

Hinting that he will be forced to commit more money to defence, despite the UK’s straitened finances, he said: “We must level with the public and build consent for the decisions we will have to take to keep us all safe.”

The UK military is facing a funding gap of up to £28bn over the next 10 years and an impasse over how to plug the gap has repeatedly delayed the publication of the government’s defence investment plan, which was initially due last autumn.

UK defence secretary John Healey told journalists at the summit that military ties were as strong as ever despite the political turbulence. “Europe stepping up doesn’t mean the US is stepping back.”

The Conservatives lashed out at Starmer’s plans for closer co-operation with Europe. “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,” Tory shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel said.

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Starmer also used his speech as an opportunity to hit out obliquely at the Reform UK and the Green parties over their stances on defence.

“It’s striking that the different ends of the spectrum share so much. Soft on Russia and weak on Nato — if not outright opposed,” the prime minister said.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has been criticised for saying in 2014 that he “admired” Russian President Vladimir Putin as an “operator”. Farage’s allies insist the remarks are outdated and have been taken out of context.

Zack Polanski, leader of the Green Party, supports Britain withdrawing from Nato, though it is not party policy. “Donald Trump has so much domination within Nato that I don’t believe it’s possible to reform Nato from within,” he told the Guardian last month.

Starmer also rebuffed suggestions that he had been politically weakened by recent domestic political turmoil. “I ended the week much stronger than I started it, and that’s a very good place to be,” he said.