UK, Germany sign new treaty to strengthen defence, migration ties post-Brexit

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz have signed a landmark treaty aimed at deepening bilateral ties and mutual support in the face of rising global challenges. The agreement includes a commitment for the two nations to assist each other in the event of an armed attack, marking a significant reset in relations following Brexit.

Conservative leader Merz, who has openly expressed regret over Britain’s departure from the European Union, emphasised the desire to enhance cooperation between Germany and the UK. Ahead of the signing ceremony at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, Starmer highlighted the pact’s importance, Caliber.Az cites a Bloomberg report.

“It not only marks the progress we have already made and the history we share,” he said. “It is the foundation on which we go further to tackle shared problems and invest in shared strengths.”

The treaty comes just one week after French President Emmanuel Macron’s historic state visit to the UK, which helped to strengthen Anglo-French relations. German officials described the defence pledge as a response to an increasingly aggressive Russia and concerns among European allies regarding the United States’ commitment to NATO.

However, they stressed that the bilateral defence agreement is not intended to replace NATO’s collective defence principle under Article 5.

As part of the treaty, Starmer and Merz committed to delivering a new long-range missile system, the Deep Precision Strike capability, within the next decade. According to a UK government statement, the missile will have a range exceeding 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) and is expected to significantly boost the UK and European defence industries through “significant industrial investment.”

Beyond defence, the treaty addresses cooperation in trade, transport, and migration. Germany is expected to adopt legislation by year-end making it illegal to facilitate irregular migration to the UK. Additionally, the agreement will enable visa-free travel for school groups between the two countries, Starmer’s spokesman Tom Wells told reporters.

Jürgen Hardt, foreign-policy spokesman for Merz’s CDU/CSU parliamentary group, described the agreement as “a strong signal in a world marked by uncertainty” that will contribute to making “all of Europe safer, more mobile, and more prosperous.”

“With this agreement, we are smoothing out the rough edges left behind by Brexit,” Hardt said. “In doing so, we are providing important impetus for further rapprochement between the UK and the EU, on economic and trade policy, but also on defence.”

The timing of the treaty offers a welcome distraction amid domestic challenges faced by both leaders. Starmer has recently faced several policy reversals that have strained his government’s reputation for fiscal discipline, while Merz is managing tensions within his ruling coalition, with disagreements between his conservative CDU/CSU bloc and the Social Democrats on welfare reforms, judicial appointments, and more — drawing parallels to the internal conflicts that troubled former Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s administration.

By Sabina Mammadli