British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (Labour Party) met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (Social Democracy) in Berlin yesterday, in what Starmer portrayed as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to reset relations with the rest of Europe. Starmer proposed a new pact with Germany, on an “unprecedented” degree of bilateral military cooperation, as well as increased collaboration in areas such as trade and energy.
A new Anglo-German military partnership could resemble the Lancaster House pact between Britain and France of 2010, according to officials, with pledges to create a joint force, and to share equipment and nuclear missile research centers. The U.K. and Germany will continue negotiations with the aim of completing the deal early next year, according to Starmer’s office. It would follow the signing of a joint defense declaration in July, between the two Defense Ministers John Healey and Boris Pistorius.
At their joint press conference, Starmer declared: “Because, as Europe’s largest contributors to Ukraine’s war efforts … and as the nations with the highest defense expenditure among European countries in NATO … we know only too well the debt we owe to the Ukrainian people … who fight not just to defend themselves … but for all the people of Europe. So today—we reaffirmed our commitment to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
On his trip to Germany, Starmer also held talks with business leaders, including Armin Papperger, chief executive of leading German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall, and Christian Bruch, Siemens Energy’s CEO, which employs some 6,000 people in Britain, to discuss further investment and creating more highly skilled jobs.
As for military cooperation, earlier reports spoke of a potential joint venture, perhaps also including the French, on the development of a longer-range missile based on the Anglo-French Storm Shadow (present range 300 km) program. The U.K. may be interested in purchasing Germany’s Taurus cruise missile, which has a range of 500 km, but can likely be upgraded to a range of 800-1,000 km.
