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Starmer in Berlin for talks to reset UK-Europe ties
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will discuss a landmark economic and defence accord with German leaders on Wednesday, hoping to use a two-day visit to the European Union’s top powers Germany and France to reset relations with the rest of the bloc.
Starmer said he wanted Britain to move beyond the previous Conservative government’s fractious relations with European allies and put improved ties at the heart of his efforts to boost Britain’s economic growth.
In Berlin, Starmer visited the landmark Brandenburg Gate, before meeting President Frank-Walter Steinmeier early on Wednesday. Later, he was greeted with military honours by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz outside the chancellery under a bright blue sky.
Starmer will discuss with Scholz, a fellow leftist, a new pact they hope will bring about an unprecedented degree of bilateral military cooperation and greater collaboration in areas such as trade and energy.
“We must turn a corner on Brexit and fix the broken relationships left behind by the previous government,” Starmer said in a statement. “We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reset our relationship with Europe.”
Britain and Germany, NATO allies and western Europe’s biggest defence spenders, are looking for ways to increase defence cooperation ahead of a possible scaling back of US military support for Ukraine if former US president Donald Trump returns to the White House early next year.
The Republican presidential candidate has warned that if elected, he would fundamentally rethink “NATO’s purpose and NATO’s mission”.Trump has also not committed to sending further aid to Ukraine and said he would not defend allies that do not increase their defence budgets.
An Anglo-German defence partnership could resemble the Lancaster House pact between Britain and France agreed in 2010, according to officials, with pledges to create a joint force and share equipment and nuclear missile research centres.
The two sides will continue negotiations over the next six months with the aim of completing the deal early next year, according to Starmer’s office. It would follow the signing of a joint defence declaration in July.
On his trip to Germany, Starmer will also hold talks with business leaders including Armin Papperger, chief executive of German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall, who according to media reports last month was the target of a Russian assassination plot. The Kremlin said the reports were fake and could not be taken seriously.
After the talks in Germany, Starmer will head to Paris for the Paralympics opening ceremony on Wednesday night, and hold a breakfast meeting on Thursday with executives from companies including Thales, Eutelsat, Mistral AI and Sanofi.
Starmer is expected to meet Paralympic athletes as they prepare for competition, before having talks with President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysée Palace.
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