COMMENT: Theresa May Must Listen To Europe On Defence

Image: Press Association.

Leaving the European Union does not mean Britain abandoning its part in the defence of Europe.

The Prime Minister will on Saturday say as much when she speaks at the Munich Security Conference, which opens on Friday.

Munich is not a forum for military decision making - it is a policy shop window and therefore should be watched.

At this stage of the Brexit negotiations, Mrs May needs to talk Europe, and she needs to listen to what Europe says about defence.

The mainstay of European security is NATO.

It has the numbers, 70 years of doing the job from Cold War to Afghanistan and, most importantly, Canada and the USA as senior and active members.

Yet there is a large European lobby that insists that once the UK has quit the EU, Europe must have an exclusive EuroDefence without the British.

It is an ill-thought through concept and is reeking with political malice.

Mrs May’s Munich speech has a two-fold importance.

Firstly, it offends the EuroDefence argument.

Secondly and most importantly, Mrs May needs a big defence speech for her own political reasons.

The UK is heading for a major defence review in two parts: the UK global security view and therefore, the shape of military options needed to guarantee that view.

The Prime Minister will be in broad terms saying this: Britain’s front line remains as it has been for a hundred years, Europe.

She should then add, Brexit means greater, not less, commitment to Europe and as a sign of this, the British Army is staying based in Germany with its training and logistics at Sennelager and some armour at Rheindahlen; the detail will be for the forthcoming defence review especially as there will be an adjustment to the original British plan to pull out 20,000 forces from Germany.

Will the European cynics believe her? Maybe – Mrs May has neither the political and personal credibility in Europe for much applause on this.

The proof will be in the shape of British forces after the coming review.

That review must in numbers, weaponry and intent have a clear description of what it is for.