Earlier this week, Keir Starmer did a totally standard thing. The newly elected British prime minister made a visit to one of the UK’s biggest neighbours, Germany, which also happens to be a Nato ally. He then went on to France. In a normal world, this in itself would not be considered remarkable – but nothing should be considered normal in the post-Brexit times we live in.
During the Brexit negotiations, the relationship between the UK and Germany sank to a very low ebb. Conservative ministers made it clear with their public statements that diplomatic etiquette and basic politeness towards international partners were less of a priority than impressing their domestic tabloid press with anti-European rhetoric. Those days are thankfully behind us, but it still took Starmer’s predecessor, Rishi Sunak, a year and a half to make it to Berlin, an omission that did not go unnoticed among German officials and caused more than a little pique.
It is just as easy to underestimate the significance of Starmer’s trip, as it is to overstate it. Admittedly, as a German, I find baffling some of the reactions from the British commentariat. There is, for instance, great excitement that the prime minister has now met the German chancellor five times since Starmer took office barely two months ago. In the weeks after the UK election, Olaf Scholz and Starmer saw each other at the Nato summit, the Euro finals in Berlin and at a gathering of the European political community at Blenheim Palace.
One might argue, of course, that cheering on an England team in a major tournament, and attending meetings of international organisations are, again, pretty normal things for a prime minister to do – but never mind. It is all part of the great European “reset”, apparently a project that the Labour government deems a priority. The Conservative opposition is already duly alarmed, warning that Starmer’s visit to Berlin proves his intention to undo what they hold most dear: Brexit.
The true believers who still think that leaving the European Union was a marvellous idea really should relax. Their project is safe. It is patently obvious that Starmer’s government has zero intention of “reversing Brexit”, and both the German government and the officials running the EU institutions in Brussels are well aware of that.
Starmer has stated repeatedly – before and after the election, as well as during his press conference with Chancellor Scholz – that rejoining the EU is completely off the table, as well as emphasising that there will be no return to free movement. More than that, he also won’t contemplate rejoining the single market or even a customs union with the EU. Those would be steps that would make an actual difference for the British economy, but they would probably require the UK to accept European rules without having a say in making them.
Starmer wants a “reset with the EU”, a “closer relationship”; but given his red lines, it remains unclear what that would actually entail, beyond a different tone. There is some room for closer links, but it is limited. Being a “third” country in Brussels is never easy. Building trust and forging new relationships is important, and may pay off in the long run, but it is only the first, small building block of a new relationship.
And yet Starmer’s visit to Berlin was a real success. Its significance lies in putting the bilateral relationship with Germany on a new, much closer footing. Both German and British officials have assured me that it was a genuinely productive meeting, which achieved something much more substantial than to merely improve the mood music between our countries.
The two governments have issued a joint declaration announcing that they will spend the next six months formulating a bilateral cooperation treaty they hope to sign in early 2025. It is an ambitious plan that extends to every aspect of the bilateral relationship, including working together on law enforcement, energy security, climate change, youth and education, as well as irregular migration.
At the heart of the treaty is close cooperation on foreign policy, defence and security. This is a highly desirable goal. Among Europe’s Nato members, the UK and Germany are the largest defence spenders, as well as crucial supporters of Ukraine. Given the current threat level in Europe, and the added uncertainty of what a possible Trump presidency could mean for all of our security, it is imperative for the European members of Nato to work together as closely as possible. That includes the UK, whether or not it is part of the EU, and it is gratifying to see that this message has finally landed in Berlin.
A lot of things could still go wrong with this treaty. Starmer’s renewed rejection of a European youth mobility scheme, something the Germans really want, probably did not help proceedings, although he didn’t rule it out entirely.
Four years ago, the Tory MP Tom Tugendhat, who is now running to lead the Conservative party, together with the German CDU parliamentarian Norbert Röttgen, proposed a UK-Germany bilateral treaty. It was the wrong time. The acrimony over Brexit was too fresh and, particularly on the German side, there was widespread concern that the UK could try to use its bilateral relationship with individual European countries to deliberately drive a wedge into the EU. The fact that this is no longer a concern for Berlin shows that trust between our countries has markedly improved.
It is important not to confuse a reset in UK-German relations with a Europe-wide one. They are connected, but if Starmer really wants to build a closer relationship with the EU, he needs to go to Brussels, and not just Berlin and Paris. It is safe to say that Brexit won’t be reversed under his government. But the prime minister’s visit to Berlin was a constructive and sorely needed step to move on from it. Making the best of a bad situation is a thankless task. That does not make it unimportant.
Helene von Bismarck is a Hamburg-based historian specialising in UK-German relations
