Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Feb. 1 that Britain is weighing participation in a second round of the European Union’s proposed “SAFE” (European Security Action) defence financing programme, signalling a potential thaw in post‑Brexit security relations with the bloc. Reuters reported that London is preparing for talks with EU counterparts this week that could reopen negotiations on co‑financing European military capabilities.
SAFE is a large‑scale EU initiative, envisioned as a roughly €150 billion package financed by borrowing on capital markets through the European Commission and recycled to states as long‑term loans for ammunition, drones, missiles and other equipment. Britain tried and failed to join the first round of SAFE in 2025; participants and commentators give different explanations for that collapse, ranging from strict EU entry conditions to disputes over pricing and Britain’s willingness to underwrite a participation fee.
Accounts of the breakdown diverge. Some in London blamed high access thresholds and pushback from EU capitals such as Paris, while other observers pointed to a concrete dispute over a proposed contribution: Moscow‑linked outlets and some press accounts said Brussels sought about €6.7 billion from the UK, which London resisted and countered with a much smaller offer; Brussels later signalled a reduction in its ask to around €2 billion but no agreement was reached before the deadline.
The talks come against a volatile geopolitical backdrop that has persuaded many European capitals to bolster collective defences. Starmer argued Britain should not stand aloof while the continent steps up efforts to “defend itself,” advocating higher defence spending and closer operational cooperation with European partners. The shift reflects both anxieties about Russian aggression and unease in parts of Europe about the steadiness of U.S. security commitments under President Donald Trump.
Were Britain to join a revived SAFE round it would mark a pragmatic pivot towards structured EU defence cooperation without reversing Brexit. London would gain access to pooled finance and procurement mechanisms that could speed rearmament and improve interoperability with continental forces, but membership would raise tricky questions about governance, conditionality and the optics of sovereignty that helped sink talks in 2025.
The immediate outlook is procedural: the EU‑UK Partnership Council is due to meet this week and defence topics may also surface at a minerals security meeting in Washington on Feb. 4. Negotiations will likely focus on the price and legal terms—how much Britain must contribute, what obligations come with loans, and how procurement and industrial benefits are shared. If both sides can narrow those gaps, SAFE could become a vehicle for deeper, if careful, security cooperation between Britain and its European neighbours.