Watch: John Healey speaks with Polish counterpart in first visit as defence secretary

Watch as John Healey and his Polish counterpart, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, made joint statements in Warsaw on Wednesday, 24 July.

The new defence secretary has made his first visits to France, Germany, Poland and Estonia.

His whistlestop 48-hour tour is aimed at sending a message that European security will be the government’s “first foreign and defence priority”.

In Germany, Mr Healey signed a joint defence declaration agreeing to closer cooperation as the first step in a new UK-German defence relationship.

He said the new Labour administration is “getting on with the job” and “resetting our relationships” with allies on the Continent.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said ministers agreed on six priorities for tighter collaboration as part of the new accord, including “comprehensive” co-operation in the field of long-range capabilities.

Other key goals are “strengthening UK and German defence industries, reinforcing Euro-Atlantic security, improving joint operations, confronting evolving security challenges” such as cyber threats, and supporting Ukraine.