Keir Starmer promised to “turn around Brexit” and rebuild productive relationships with EU member states ahead of a surprise trip to Berlin for talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz that are expected to focus on defence and trade.
The prime minister said his visit was part of a wider effort to repair the “broken relationships” with Britain's European neighbours left by the previous government.
He added that this was a “once-in-a-generation opportunity to reset” relations with Europe.
Starmer is due to fly to Paris on Wednesday to meet French President Emmanuel Macron and attend the opening ceremony of the Paralympics. He is also due to meet German business leaders and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier during a stopover of just under 18 hours.
His attempt to renegotiate Britain's relationship with Europe is part of a wider strategy to make controversial decisions early in his term as prime minister and then reap the rewards as the next election approaches.
The Chancellor on Tuesday hinted at tax rises in October's Budget, warning it would be a “painful” fiscal announcement. Last week the Guardian reported that Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves was considering raising capital gains tax and inheritance tax to plug the £22 billion deficit that Labour claims to have inherited.
The government is also under pressure over its decision to cut winter fuel payments for 10 million pensioners and over a series of senior government jobs awarded to Labour supporters and donors.
Starmer said on Tuesday it was all part of a move to rebuild the UK after what he called “14 years of rot”.
The meeting with Scholz is also expected to focus on migration and asylum-seeking issues, including discussing information about informal border crossings.
Much of the focus will be on defence and security, with Britain and Germany due to begin negotiations on a bilateral treaty modelled on the one Prime Minister David Cameron signed with France in 2010 setting out a 50-year plan for defence cooperation.
No. 10 said the UK team would spend six months reviewing the treaty and that the two countries hoped to sign it in early 2025.
On the issue of strengthening mutual planning to counter a more aggressive and expansionist Russia, defence cooperation has become one of the EU's key priorities even before Starmer's government negotiates a revised post-Brexit agreement with Brussels.
Germany and France are major players in the European Union's defense sector, and President Macron in particular wants to centralize defense procurement within Europe.
In comments released by Downing Street before Starmer left for Berlin on Tuesday, he said the British government had a “once in a generation opportunity to reshape our relationship with Europe for a genuine and ambitious partnership that serves the British people”.
“We must turn Brexit around and repair the broken relationships left by the previous administration. That work began at the European Political Community conference last month and I am determined to continue it – which is why I am visiting Germany and France this week.”
“Strengthening our relationships with these countries is vital not only to tackling the global issue of irregular migration, but also to promoting economic growth across the continent, and in the UK in particular, which is one of the key missions of my Government.”
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Starmer met Scholz and Macron at the European Political Community meeting at Blenheim Palace and at the NATO summit in Washington. Downing Street said this week's meeting will mark the prime minister's fifth meeting with the German chancellor and his fourth with the French president since Labour's victory in the UK general election.
German officials say a deal with Britain could partly copy a long-standing pact between Germany and France that covers a range of bilateral issues but avoids EU-centric issues such as trade.
The Franco-German cooperation treaty signed in Aachen in 2019 also includes joint cultural and digital programs, as well as an expansion of existing youth mobility programs to include young people with special needs. Last week, the Chancellery clarified that Germany would not take part in any youth mobility schemes as part of a revised agreement with the EU.
Procuring defence contracts in Britain could also be an option: last year the German defence ministry signed a contract with a Dutch shipyard as one of the prime contractors for naval vessels.
German sources say Chancellor Scholz has already made clear he wants to strengthen ties with Britain and is “willing to fast-track” any efforts to help international trade, which has been hit particularly hard by Brexit.
One German source said Scholz, facing a potentially risky federal election next year, would be keen to exchange ideas with the left-wing leader who just won a landslide victory. “They're both socialists and both technocrats. They'll want to learn from each other,” the source said.
As part of his trade-related visit, Starmer is due to meet Christian Bruch, CEO of Siemens Energy, and Armin Theodor Papelger, CEO of Rheinmetall, Germany's largest defence company.
Although Starmer's stay in Germany is short, it has a packed schedule, including military protection and a joint press conference with Chancellor Scholz after their meeting.
After leaving for Paris on Wednesday, the prime minister was due to attend the opening ceremony of the Paralympics and a reception with Macron and other leaders at the Elysee Palace, where he was also due to meet French business leaders.
