British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer set out plans for a new treaty with Germany on Wednesday as part of a wider reset of relations with the European Union.
The prime minister, who agreed that a deal with Berlin would be in place by the end of the year following talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, called it a “once-in-a-generation” opportunity.
Starmer and Sholz met at the Chancellery in Berlin as the pair sought to forge deeper ties between the two countries.
Scholz said the UK and Germany were “good friends, close partners, and trusted allies” as Starmer promised a “bright new future” in Anglo-German relations.
Starmer said the new treaty would result in “deeper links on science, technology, development, people, business, culture” and “a boost to [the UK’s] trading relations.”
A new defense agreement between the two will build on the “already formidable” cooperation between the two countries, the prime minister added.
He said the treaty would give the UK and Germany a chance to “deliver for working people” in both countries.
Starmer said: “Britain can advance its interests much more effectively when we work with friends and partners.
“This treaty is part of a wider reset, grounded in a new spirit of cooperation with our shared understanding that this will be developed at pace, and that we hope to have agreed it by the end of the year.”
The two countries have also agreed to develop a “joint action plan to tackle illegal migration.”
Starmer’s hopes for the “wider reset” with the European Union would not amount to undoing Brexit, he said.
He said that although he wanted a “reset,” that did not mean “reversing Brexit or re-entering the single market or the customs union.”
“But it does mean a closer relationship on a number of fronts, including the economy, including defense, including exchanges, but we do not have plans for a youth mobility scheme,” Starmer said.
An agreement on youth mobility has been suggested by Brussels and could be a key demand in any negotiations.
“We want to create good relations between the UK and the European Union, it can become better day by day, and we all share an interest,” Scholz said.
There was “reason to do everything in our power to improve relations between both countries but also the UK and the European Union,” the chancellor added.
Ahead of the talks with Scholz, Starmer met with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the Bellevue Palace in Berlin, the first British prime minister to visit the palace since David Cameron in 2015.
He came at the invitation of Steinmeier after the pair met at the UEFA European Football Championships held in Germany earlier this year.
The UK’s negotiation team will spend the next six months working on the treaty with Germany, aiming to agree on a partnership by early 2025.
Starmer will also reiterate his personal condolences to the German people following the attack in Solingen on Friday, where three people died.
After his German excursion, he will go to Paris for the Paralympic opening ceremony on Wednesday evening.
On Thursday he will have breakfast with French business leaders, including representatives from Thales and Sanofi, followed by meetings with Paralympians preparing for their competitions before a summit with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace.
Last month, at the European Political Community summit held at Blenheim Palace, Starmer said the UK will be a “friend and a partner ready to work” with Europe.
“We can only make progress on the issues that so many people care about, like illegal migration and national security, if we have the maturity and leadership to reach out a hand to our European friends,” he said.
