By Salma El-Sakka
Former British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer told a Dublin audience that Europe must build a common security framework because the United States will no longer "bankroll" its allies' defence. Speaking at a British Irish Chamber of Commerce dinner in Dublin City Hall on Friday, Starmer said the change in the transatlantic defence relationship is permanent and not merely "an aberration of the Trump presidency."
Permanent shift in transatlantic relations
Starmer warned that "things will not go back to the way they were" after the US made clear it will no longer fund European security. He said Europe had been caught unprepared twice: first by Russia's attack on Ukraine, which exposed long-standing defence weaknesses, and second by President Trump's declaration that the US would stop bankrolling European security. "We have to catch up," he added.
Call for pan-European cooperation
The former prime minister argued that increased defence spending is only part of the solution. He urged deeper pan-European cooperation and coordination on defence and security, describing a common security framework as essential as a common market, with the UK at its centre. Starmer noted the EU is changing in response but cautioned that it "cannot be the EU alone when Europe's periphery is core to its defence."
Honorary membership and Trump relationship
Starmer was at the dinner to receive an honorary life membership from the chamber. He acknowledged a positive early working relationship with Donald Trump but noted later tensions, including Trump's mockery over the refusal to allow UK bases for US-Israel strikes on Iran. Starmer said Trump wished him well as he left Downing Street and they would stay in touch.
