Kaja Kallas offered Britain kind words but no concessions as Wes Streeting urged the EU not to exclude British firms from its defence splurge.<\/p>\n
Wes Streeting, Britain\u2019s defence secretary, spent his Monday in two European capitals. In Brussels he met Kaja Kallas, the EU\u2019s foreign policy chief. In Berlin he saw Boris Pistorius, his German counterpart. His message was consistent: Britain wants to be part of Europe\u2019s defence effort, not shut out of it.<\/p>\n
His errand was commercial as well as it was diplomatic. The EU wants to boost sectors such as cars and defence by obliging firms to buy European if they want public money. London fears exclusion. Britain has already clashed with France and others championing a \u2018Made in Europe\u2019<\/a> approach. It threatens to leave London (and UK companies) out of recent EU defence industrial initiatives.<\/p>\n The trip was Mr Streeting\u2019s first to Brussels as defence secretary. It came a week after he met Mr Pistorius, Ms Kallas, and the Italian, French, and Polish defence ministers in Paris. He was also due to meet Andrius Kubilius, the EU\u2019s defence industry commissioner. The latter had not, by the time of writing, produced any media output.<\/p>\n A warning on protectionism<\/p>\n The timing matters. A UK\u2013EU leaders\u2019 summit is due on 20 November, and Mr Streeting\u2019s tour helps prepare its defence elements. Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine and US President Donald Trump\u2019s taking the side of Russia while hobbling NATO partners have made defence one of the best areas of cooperation since Britain left the bloc in 2020.<\/p>\n Standing beside Ms Kallas, Mr Streeting argued from economics rather than grievance. \u201cThe truth is that even if every NATO member could afford to double defence spending tomorrow, we wouldn\u2019t be able to spend it because the industrial base isn\u2019t strong enough,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He called a focus on jobs and growth from defence spending healthy and necessary. The danger, he said, is that it spreads into self-defeating protectionism. In his telling, the stronger Europeans are together, the likelier they are to deter Russia and other threats.<\/p>\n Playing to the home crowd<\/p>\n Mr Streeting gave the impression of a man always running for office, even as he is holding one of Whitehall\u2019s coveted portfolios. During the press conference, he invoked his boss, Prime Minister Andy Burnham, and his qualities no less than three times. The defence secretary praised Mr Burnham\u2019s \u201cleadership\u201d, \u201ccourageous conversation\u201d, and \u201cambitious agenda on Europe\u201d as if he had picked the wrong talking-point memo on his way across the English Channel.<\/p>\n Asked by Sky News whether he wanted Britain to rejoin the EU<\/a>, and how fast, the secretary had this to offer: \u201cI\u2019m really proud of the prime minister\u2019s leadership.\u201d He added that Mr Burnham is willing to confront big challenges, from social care to Europe.<\/p>\n The UK\u2019s policy on defence is NATO first, not NATO only. \u2014 Wes Streeting, UK defence secretary<\/p>\n Asked what would be easier if Britain were back in the EU, he again addressed voters at home. Leaving, he said, had hurt the economy, and Brexit had not worked as well as promised. \u201cWe fought hard in the referendum. We lost,\u201d he said, adding that his Labour party respected the result, which now even many erstwhile Brexit supporters view as a mistake<\/a>.<\/p>\n Kallas: \u2018Not there yet\u2019<\/p>\n Ms Kallas gave little ground. She said EU member states benefit from cooperation with Britain and its defence industry. But she conceded there had been no result on British participation in the SAFE agreement. \u201cWe have other ways to cooperate,\u201d she said, while stressing that Britain should be part of the wider European defence alliances.<\/p>\n She pointed instead to the Framework Participation Agreement, which would cover British participation in civilian and military missions. Talks continue. On a possible SAFE 2, she said the EU was \u201cnot there yet\u201d. Mr Streeting said Britain would judge whether taking part served its interest. \u201cThe UK\u2019s policy on defence is NATO first, not NATO only,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n