Starmer says UK must get closer to Europe as Trump threatens NATO exit

Keir Starmer said Britain must get closer to the EU after Donald Trump warned he was considering pulling the US out of NATO, Report informs via The Telegraph.

The Prime Minister said it was "increasingly clear" that Britain required closer ties with Europe as he admitted the US president's war in Iran would affect the UK, with energy bills expected to jump over summer.

In an address to the nation, Starmer said: "As the world continues down this volatile path our long term national interest requires closer partnership with our allies in Europe and with the European Union."

Britain has aligned more closely with the EU since Labour came to power, with Keir using his speech to claim that "Brexit did deep damage to our economy".

He also defended NATO after President Trump called the military alliance a "paper tiger" in an interview with The Telegraph, criticizing it for its failure to join his war in the Middle East.

Asked if he would reconsider the US's membership of the alliance, the US president said: "Oh yes, I would say [it's] beyond reconsideration. I was never swayed by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too, by the way."

Keir said NATO was "the single most effective military alliance the world has ever seen", adding he would act in the British national interest "whatever the pressure on me and others, whatever the noise".

While the Prime Minister's speech was billed as an economic response to the war, Keir did not announce any support for households bracing for a surge in energy prices.

Average annual household energy bills dropped to £1,641 on Wednesday under the Ofgem price cap, which covers April to June. However, industry analysts expect them to jump closer to £2,000 from July.