Ed Miliband has pledged to bring the UK closer to the EU, declaring in a passionate speech at Labour’s conference in Liverpool that “our future lies in a stronger, deeper partnership” with the bloc.
Declaring Britons to be “proud Europeans”, the Foreign Secretary’s address was met with thunderous applause by the assembled Labour members and lawmakers.
Mr Miliband hailed Britain’s support for Ukraine against Russia, insisting: “We are part of this fight as humanitarians, but also as proud Europeans. This is our continent.
“If there is one lesson that I have seen demonstrated to me again and again in this job, it is this: Europe is not just our geography, but so much more.
“It is how we pursue our values, from climate to the Middle East. It’s how we pursue our interests, from trade to defence.
“It’s where we build and protect our alliances. So it is not simply Britain acting alone, but Britain with others.
“On economics, on defence, on security, I say to this conference: Our future lies in a stronger, deeper partnership with the European Union.”
The Foreign Secretary’s remarks on Europe come as Labour’s London Mayor Sadiq Khan declared that Britain must “start the work now” to rejoin the EU.
Ed Miliband has pledged to bring the UK closer to the EU at the Labour Party conference
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He said: “You cannot, a week before a general election, pull out of a hat this rabbit of a manifesto and say we are going to rejoin in six weeks.
“The heavy lifting, the pitch-rolling must be done now, explaining to the country the disbenefits of being outside the European Union and the benefits of being part of this family.”
Returning to a security focus in Mr Miliband’s speech, he said: “Of course, our alliance with the United States in trade, defence and security remains essential, including as part of Nato.
“But Europe also needs to do more to defend itself. That’s why investment in our defence is an absolutely core part of this Government’s foreign policy.”
The Foreign Secretary declared that ‘our future lies in a stronger, deeper partnership’ with the bloc
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“We must be prepared to confront all the security threats that Europe and the world face,” Mr Miliband declared.
He identified Iran’s pursuit of a nuclear weapon, actions of Tehran-backed proxies and a crunch on global energy prices as examples of modern dangers to Britain.
However, he stressed that “we also face new threats in today’s world”.
“This summer’s heatwaves and wildfires in Europe are just the latest wake-up call about the climate crisis.
“Friends, we know that the longer we wait, the greater the costs. We know the effects will spread across borders.
“We know that future generations will hold us in infamy if we leave them with climate disaster unaddressed.”
The Foreign Secretary then pivoted from climate change to domestic politics.
He said: “So let us therefore ask every party. Where do you stand on tackling the climate crisis?
“Where do you stand on defending our way of life? I say to those parties that deny, delay and dissemble on the climate threat, your position would leave our country unsafe and threaten our national security.”
Mr Miliband said Europe was ‘how we pursue our values, from climate to the Middle East… from trade to defence’
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GB NEWS
During his speech, Mr Miliband also addressed his stance on the Gaza conflict, where he said: “The only route to peace is two states, a secure Israel and a secure Palestine, with freedom, dignity and self-determination for both peoples.”
While briefly addressing the October 7 massacre and growing antisemitism in Europe, the Foreign Secretary said the “suffering” in Gaza was a “stain on the conscience of the world”.
“I want to say to the millions of people in this country and indeed elsewhere, who have been moved and outraged by the plight of the Palestinian people. We hear you. You were right,” he stressed.
“Under Andy’s leadership, we have reset our approach. We call out ethnic cleansing by the settler terrorists in the West Bank; we call out the evidence of war crimes in Gaza; we call out Israel’s illegal occupation of Gaza.”