Britain-EU security deal ‘fundamental’ due to Ukraine war, says UK shadow foreign secretary

MUNICH — Russia's brutal war on Ukraine makes the need for a security agreement between the United Kingdom and the European Union more pressing, U.K. Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Sunday.

"It’s absolutely fundamental that the United Kingdom and Europe have the closest of relationships and the Brexit era is over, the situation is settled," Lammy said during an appearance at the Munich Security Conference.

As U.K. Shadow Defense Secretary John Healey told POLITICO in December, an incoming Labour government would seek a broad defense and security deal with the EU in addition to bilateral pacts with France and Germany. Such an accord with Brussels could be centered on cooperation in logistics and cyber-security along with a broader strategic dialogue, Healey said.

Onstage in Munich on Sunday, Lammy said Britain and France combined represent around half of Europe's military capabilities and that intelligence sharing through the Five Eyes alliance means a deal with the EU is important.

"It’s a pact that is effectively built on the fact that we obviously have war here in Europe," Lammy said. "Russia will continue to be a threat to Europe for months, years, perhaps a generation more."

"We now need a U.K.-EU security pact," he said, adding it wouldn't seek to rival NATO structures.

With a general election set to take place with within a year in the U.K., and Labour around 20 percent ahead in the polls, the party is preparing for power with leader Kier Starmer also in Munich for talks, including a bilateral with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.