Labour would strike a landmark defence pact with Germany within six months of returning to power, the Shadow Defence Secretary declared today.
Frontbencher John Healey said the party wanted greater military links with Berlin to boost European security.
Pledging that “Labour will make Britain secure at home and strong abroad”, he added: “Allies are our strategic strength.
“We want a Lancaster House style UK-German defence and security agreement struck within the first six months of a Labour Government.
“This will grow UK jobs, strengthen NATO and keep Britain safe.”
The deal would seek to build on the strengthened bonds between the UK and France following the historic deal the allies signed at Lancaster House in 2010.
Mr Healey’s pledge came as the British defence think tank the Royal United Services Institute and German think tank Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung published a report calling for better cooperation “to strengthen European security” after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Mr Healey and Nils Schmid, foreign affairs spokesman for the SDP German political party, wrote the foreword for the study.
“We want to see a treaty-based security relationship between the UK and Germany,” they said.
“We want this report to stimulate wide debate about an ambitious UK-German agreement on defence, security and foreign policy.
“Its recommendations provide a solid basis for this with objectives focused on building a European pillar of NATO, developing interoperability and expanding defence industrial cooperation.”
The pair called for “new leadership to make this happen – struck when the political opportunity allows – and a relationship founded on reliability and respect between our nations to strengthen wider European security”.
They added: “As Ukraine has shown, allies and alliances matter.
“Germany and the UK can be a stronger force for good in the world when we work more closely together.”
Britain and Germany have fostered ever-tighter military ties since the end of the Second World War.
They were two of the four partners which collaborated on the Eurofigther warplane programme, which led to the RAF’s fearsome 1,500mph Typhoon fighter jets.
Germany has long been criticised for not spending enough money on its armed forces.
But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine triggered an upheaval in attitudes to defence funding.
Days after Russian tanks rolled over the Ukrainian border, Chancellor Olaf Scholz delivered the “Zeitenwende speech”, announcing a €100billion (£87bn) fund to significantly increase military spending.
Berlin currently spends 1.49% of its GDP on the military - way below the 2% NATO benchmark.
But the size of its economy - the biggest in Europe - means it still pumps tens of billions into defence.
The UK spends 2.16%, according to the Western alliance’s own figures.
RUSI’s research fellow for European security, Ed Arnold, said: “As the top two European defence spenders and supporters of Ukraine, the UK and Germany have significant areas of mutual interest to cooperate on.
“They can provide joint leadership and a shared agenda with transatlanticism and Euro-Atlantic security at its core.
“Helping to lead the development of a European pillar of NATO should be a key objective.”
Mr Schmid said: “As a reaction to the Zeitenwende, the SPD-led German government has adjusted some basic principles of its foreign and security policy and taken on greater international responsibility.
“For us, it is clear that NATO is and remains the guarantor of our security.
“We are convinced that enhanced security cooperation between the UK and Germany would strengthen the European pillar within NATO and strongly benefit European security.
“We want to see an ambitious agreement between the UK and Germany on defence, security and foreign policy – and think that this comprehensive report is an important contribution to the respective debates in the UK and Germany.”
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