Joe Biden backs Keir Starmer's plan for new defence pact with European Union

The President described the UK as the “transatlantic knot” keeping Europe and the US in close alliance.

This is a big boost for the new Prime Minister, who is trying to forge closer ties with the European Union on security and trade.

Biden and Sir Keir had their first face-to-face in the Oval Office of the White House after the Nato event on Tuesday, where the pair agreed further support for Ukraine.

The Prime Minister said the visit was an opportunity to “recommit to Nato, to recommit to the special relationship”.

The President said: “I kind of see you guys as the knot tying the transatlantic alliance together, the closer you are with Europe. We know where you are, you know where we are.”

Sir Keir wants an ambitious new UK-EU security pact to strengthen co-operation and seeks closer work on defence with key allies such as France and Germany.

While the Labour leader has ruled out rejoining the EU, Single Market or Customs Union, the new government is also seeking a veterinary agreement to “prevent unnecessary border checks”.

Sir Keir told the president: “The special relationship is so important. It’s forged in difficult circumstances, endured for so long, and stronger now than ever.

“I’m very pleased to be able to come so early in government to recommit to Nato, to recommit to the special relationship and to discuss these affairs with you.”

The new Prime Minister also told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that British weapons could be used to attack Russian soil.

New Security Minister, Dan Jarvis, said this meant the UK has to be “incredibly careful” to avoid retaliation from the Kremlin.

"We’ve got to guard against that,” the Barnsley North MP said.

The former Paratrooper told ITV: “We should be under no illusion that our own national security is at stake here.”

He added: “The deployment of those weapons systems ultimately will be a matter for the Ukrainian government but our strong guiding principle with all of these things is that it is incredibly important that the legal framework that governs conflict is followed.”

Sir Keir was asked afterwards about the fitness of Biden, 81, to run for re-election. He has come under pressure from senior Democrats to stand aside after a poor performance in the TV debate against Donald Trump.

The Prime Minister said that Biden was “on good form” and “absolutely across all the detail. He told the BBC: “We were going up pace through a number of issues, which was really important to me because it was my first opportunity to have a bilateral like that.”

Sir Keir added that President Biden has led Nato through “some of the most challenging issues that we are facing globally”.