In a significant move to recalibrate the UK’s post-Brexit relationships, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has embarked on a whirlwind diplomatic tour to Germany and France. His mission: to “turn a corner on Brexit” and repair the “broken relationships” with European neighbors that were left strained by the actions of previous governments. The visit to Berlin, followed by a stop in Paris, marks a critical step in Starmer’s broader strategy to reset the UK’s international standing, particularly within Europe, while avoiding any suggestion of reversing Brexit.
UK prime minister Keir Starmer has embarked on a whirlwind tour to Germany and France on Wednesday. With the vision of rekindling the old relationship with European Neighbours, Keir Starmer has promised to “ turn a corner on Brexit” and to mend the “broken relationship” with the members of the European Union. While Starmer wants to repair the broken relations abroad, he has adopted a cautious approach in order to not trigger the people back home. “I’m absolutely clear that we do want a reset,That does not mean reversing Brexit or re-entering the single market or the customs union.” Starmer said on Wednesday.
Keir’s visit to Germany
The visit to Berlin was packed with high-stakes discussions, beginning with a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Starmer’s diplomatic tour comes at a time when both he and Scholz are facing significant domestic challenges. Scholz’s Social Democratic Party is struggling in the polls, with a federal election looming next year.
Starmer, who has emphasized the need to mend ties with Europe, is focused on negotiating a new bilateral cooperation treaty between the UK and Germany. The treaty, which both leaders hope to finalize by early 2025, aims to enhance cooperation in areas such as defence, energy security, science, technology, and irregular migration.The treaty is expected to be modeled on a similar agreement that the UK signed with France in 2010, which laid out a 50-year plan for defence cooperation. The UK and Germany are determined to begin negotiations as soon as possible, with a British team slated to spend six months working on the treaty.
The economic aspect of the treaty is also important, with both leaders discussing ways to boost trade and create jobs. The need for a stronger economic partnership is also seen on the check list on UK. In an effort to rebuild this aspect of the relationship, Starmer is scheduled to meet with key German business leaders, including Christian Bruch, the chief executive of Siemens Energy, and Armin Theodor Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall, Germany’s largest defence company.
Areas of Conflict for UK
while interested in building closer ties with Europe in areas like economy,defence and energy ,Keir has made it clear that the United Kingdom is not ready to rejoin the single market system which allows goods, services and people to move freely from one member country to another.
One area of potential cooperation that has drawn attention is the possibility of a youth mobility scheme, which would allow young people from the UK and EU to live, work, and study across borders. While the EU has proposed such a scheme, Starmer has so far resisted calls to include it in the new agreement with Germany. When pressed by reporters, he reiterated that his government does not plan to pursue a youth mobility scheme, though he did express interest in fostering educational and cultural exchanges between the two countries.
This stance has drawn criticism from some quarters, particularly from those who see the scheme as a way to strengthen ties between the younger generations of Britons and Europeans. Nils Schmid, foreign affairs spokesperson for Scholz’s Social Democratic Party, described a youth mobility scheme as a “major feature of our wish list,” emphasizing that it would not be about general immigration but rather short-term stays for educational and work-related purposes.
Migration and Security
Migration and asylum seekers were also high on the agenda during Starmer’s talks with Scholz. Both leaders are under domestic pressure to address the challenges posed by irregular migration, particularly with the rise in unofficial border crossings. The stabbing attack in Solingen and Southport, have mounted fears in the minds of natives regarding illegal immigrants.
In a hope to tackle this,A joint action plan to tackle illegal migration and smuggling gangs is reportedly in the works, with intelligence sharing and data exchange forming the core of this collaboration.
The Paris Leg of the Trip
In the second half of his trip, Keir is set to meet Emmanuel Macron and attend the opening of Paris Paralympics. The main agenda for meeting is to reunite the military powerhouses of Europe in the face of expansionist polices of Russia with a focus on defence procurement within Europe.
