UK’s Starmer, Germany’s Scholz seek to strengthen ties in post-Brexit reset

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met in Berlin on Wednesday with a view to deepen ties amid a broader reset of relations after London’s exit from the European Union.

In a press conference following the meeting, Starmer said areas of the bilateral agreement under discussion could include energy security, defence, climate change and economic themes. A strong relationship between the countries was also highly important for economic growth, the U.K. leader added, noting that Scholz and he had also spoken about an action plan for illegal migration.

In a joint statement following the meeting, the U.K. and Germany said that, given the challenges that both countries are facing, it was “time to take their bilateral relationship to a new level,” according to a CNBC translation. The agreement would reflect their status as especially close partners in Europe.”

As well as foreign policy collaboration to aid peace and security, some of the countries’ joint priorities included industrial transformation, tackling illegal migration, enhancing contact between people, as well as education, infrastructure and technology, research and innovation, the statement said.

A deal is not expected to be signed until early next year, according to the statement.

Scholz on Wednesday described Germany and the U.K. as “special partners,” according to a CNBC translation, while Starmer said the two already had a strong relationship and were now building on that.

Since taking office in July, Starmer has repeatedly said his government would seek to “reset” relationships between the U.K. and European countries. The British prime minister is visiting Berlin as part of a multi-day trip to Germany and France to meet with several political and business leaders.

“We have a once in a generation opportunity to reset our relationship with Europe and strive for genuine, ambitious partnerships that deliver for the British people,” Starmer said ahead of the trip.

“We must turn a corner on Brexit and fix the broken relationships left behind by the previous government,” he added.