Sir Keir Starmer has been on another overseas visit. On his 18th trip in seven months as prime minister, he travelled to Brussels yesterday to talk to European Union leaders about defence and security, an area on which he is keen to expand cooperation. His mission was both practical and symbolic: he is pursuing a defence agreement with the EU, but he is also desperate to show that he has ‘reset’ the United Kingdom’s relationship with Europe and has been welcomed into the club by the leaders of the 27 member states.
As well as EU leaders, including the new president of the European Council, António Costa, Starmer met Mark Rutte, secretary general of Nato, as a warm-up. His message directed towards his European colleagues was predictable: increase support for Ukraine and pressure on Russia, especially in light of Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
The Prime Minister has a tendency to assume things are true because he says them
This may have caused some eyebrows on the continent to arch.
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