Sir Keir Starmer said Britain will pursue a closer relationship with the EU amid the Iran crisis.

Speaking at a No 10 press conference, the Prime Minister said: “We will continue to stand up for the British national interest, and we will continue to do what we must to guide our country calmly through this storm. However, it is increasingly clear that as the world continues down this volatile path, our long-term national interest requires closer partnership with our allies in Europe and with the EU.”

He added: “As the Chancellor has rightly pointed out, Brexit did deep damage to our economy, and the opportunities to strengthen our security and cut the cost of living are simply too big to ignore.”

Sir Keir continued: “In the coming weeks, we will announce a new summit with our EU partners, and I can tell you that at that summit, the UK will not just ratify existing commitments made at last year’s summit.

“We want to be more ambitious. Closer economic co-operation, closer security co-operation, a partnership that recognises our shared values, our shared interest and our shared future.

“A partnership for the dangerous world that we must navigate together, a world where this Government will be guided at all times by the interests of the British people.”