Sir Keir Starmer’s efforts to unite Europe in the face of Russian aggression have suffered a serious setback after France succeeded in blocking EU countries from using a €150 billion fund to procure British arms industry weapons.
The money cannot be used to buy weapons from Britain, the US or Turkey but only from European arms companies, according to a European Commission proposal.
British officials reacted with fury as Starmer prepared to host a summit of European military chiefs on Thursday to discuss the deployment of international troops to Ukraine.
Under proposals published on Wednesday, the fund will only consider purchasing British weapons if Starmer signs a security pact with Brussels, something France has tied to fishing rights.
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