Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has reaffirmed Labour’s commitment to NATO, highlighting the alliance’s place alongside the NHS in the achievements of the post-war Labour government.
Speaking at Labour Friends of NATO’s first party conference reception in Liverpool, the Defence Secretary underlined the government’s support for the alliance.
‘Solid commitment to NATO’
The organisers said trade unionists, conference delegates, MPs and ministers attended. Other speakers included former armed forces minister Bill Rammell, Councillor Georgia Pickering and writer and campaigner Paul Mason.
Paul Richards, the group’s co-director, said: “this first-ever Labour Friends of NATO reception at Labour conference confirms our solid commitment to NATO in the face of growing Russian aggression”.
Streeting: ‘United with NATO’
Streeting developed the same argument in his main conference speech on 28 September, linking collective security abroad with the protection offered by public services at home.
He described the NHS and NATO as institutions rooted in solidarity, drawing a connection between Labour’s domestic reforms and its commitment to working with allies.
“United behind our armed forces. United with Ukraine. United with NATO against Russian aggression,” he told delegates.
In that speech, Streeting also reaffirmed the existing commitment to spend 3.5% of GDP on core defence by 2035.
Labour Friends of NATO, launched earlier this year, seeks to strengthen understanding of the alliance among Labour MPs and party members.
The reception was sponsored by Babcock and Evolve Dynamics and hosted by Arden Strategies’ Jim Murphy.
