Oral Answers to Questions

Andrew Cooper Excerpts

Thursday 4th December 2025 Commons Chamber

[Alex Brewer (North East Hampshire) (LD)]

10. What steps he is taking to improve relations with the EU.

[Andrew Cooper (Mid Cheshire) (Lab)]

11. What steps he is taking to improve relations with the EU.

[Dr Al Pinkerton (Surrey Heath) (LD)]

16. What progress his Department has made on implementing the agreement made with the EU in May 2025.

--- Later in debate ---

[Darren Jones]

The Prime Minister was very clear in the House yesterday that we will be honouring our manifesto commitments on a single market and a customs union—we will not be rejoining those institutions. However, there is a great deal of work that can be done between the botched deal we inherited from the Conservatives—from their acrimonious relationship, when Britain and the European Union refused to talk to each other in the interests of either of them—and the new relationship that the Prime Minister has built with his counterparts in Europe to deliver for the people of the United Kingdom.

[Andrew Cooper]

Recent efforts to secure UK participation in the EU’s Security Action for Europe initiative, which aims to strengthen defence capacity across the continent in response to escalating Russian threats, appear to have come to an end without agreement. While it is right that the UK only enters agreements that clearly support our national interest and represent value for money, we must continue to play a leading role in European security. Will the Minister outline how the Government intend to build momentum for renewed UK-EU co-operation in this area?

[Darren Jones]

I thank my hon. Friend for his important question. The United Kingdom remains committed to our role in European security in the face of rising threats. As the House will know, the Prime Minister has led the coalition of the willing to combat Vladimir Putin’s aggression in Ukraine and has worked tirelessly to strengthen our relationships with our allies, including across Europe. We are working quickly with the EU to implement our ambitious security and defence partnership, and have already stepped up our co-operation on key issues such as tackling hybrid threats and our collective support to Ukraine.