Keir Starmer seeks to ‘turn corner on Brexit’ at meeting with German Chancellor
Keir Starmer will seek to “turn a corner on Brexit” as he meets German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin on Wednesday.
The PM will kick off talks for a fresh deal with Germany – Europe’s largest economy and the UK’s second largest trading partner, accounting for 8.5% of all UK trade. Six months of talks will follow, with both sides hoping an expansive new treaty, covering market access, trade across the North Sea, energy security and environmental issues could be in place by early next year.
They’re also likely to discuss joint action on tackling illegal migration, including intelligence sharing to help combat criminal gangs. Chancellor Scholz is under pressure to present a tough stance on immigration, after Friday’s knife attack in the Western city of Solingen, where a Syrian asylum seeker allegedly killed three and injured eight people.
The two leaders will also talk about the conflict in the middle east as well as military support for Ukraine, with both countries under pressure over their aid for Kyiv.
It comes as Downing Street seeks to reset Britain’s relationship with the EU.
“We must turn a corner on Brexit and fix the broken relationships left behind by the previous government,” the PM is expected to say. “That work started at the European Political Community (EPC) meeting last month, and I am determined to continue it, which is why I am visiting Germany and France this week.
“Strengthening our relationship with these countries is crucial, not only in tackling the global problem of illegal migration, but also in boosting economic growth across the continent and crucially in the UK – one of the key missions of my government.”
It will be the fifth time he’s met with Chancellor Sholz in the two months since he became Prime Minister, after they spoke at NATO in Washington, the EPC summit at Blenheim Palace, the Euros finals and the Olympics opening ceremony. But it marks his first overseas one-to-one visit as Prime Minister.
Mr Starmer will be greeted with full military honours in Berlin on Wednesday morning, where he’s also expected to meet with the German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier as well as business leaders. He’s set to meet with Dr. Christian Bruch, boss of Siemens Energy, which supports a sixth of global energy generation and employs 100,000 people – including 6,000 in the UK.
Later on Wednesday, the PM will fly to Paris to meet British Paralympians ahead of the 2024 games.
