Britain must drop the “Brexit rhetoric” over the exclusion of UK arms companies from a €150 billion EU defence fund, the defence secretary has said.
John Healey dismissed criticism that France was prioritising fishing rights over European security by blocking access to the rearmament fund for British manufacturers.
Last week the EU announced a €150 billion Security Action for Europe fund (Safe). Non-EU countries will be able to benefit including Norway, Iceland, Albania, Turkey, Ukraine, Japan and South Korea. British arms companies and US firms were excluded despite intense lobbying from UK officials.
Sir Keir Starmer has been told that UK arms companies such as BAE Systems and Babcock will only be included if Britain signs a defence and security pact with the EU. However,
