Andy Burnham made his first official visit as prime minister to Berlin on 8 October and was greeted with military honours before talks with Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Downing Street said the two countries will deepen cooperation on cybersecurity and countering sabotage, sharing information and coordinating action to disrupt threats. The visit followed an August drone attack on Leipzig/Halle airport that Berlin blames on Russia. The leaders marked the Kensington Treaty, signed by Merz and Starmer in 2025, which covers security, the economy and freedom of movement. Burnham said Britain is open to Germany joining the GCAP fighter programme, which German officials did not confirm. There was no press conference. Government releases announced a UK-Germany tech corridor and £1 billion of German investment for 4,000 affordable homes. France's finance minister said Britain is welcome to rejoin the EU "anytime", reported by the BBC, the Independent and The Times.
Closer ties with Germany and the EU are the central strategic bet of the new government. A prime minister who is open to deeper links with Europe will be tested on the cost of trade barriers, defence procurement and free movement. The French remark shows that Britain's partners are willing to talk about more than the present deals.
Nothing changes for travel or trade today. If the government pursues closer ties, the first visible changes would be on food and farm checks, energy trading and mobility for the young.
A reset with Berlin brings real gains: shared defence projects, investment and security cooperation, and a route to easier trade.
The government is sending mixed signals. Talk of rejoining is premature, and the announcements look like timing for headlines more than a plan.
Watch what is said at home. The Prime Minister has not said he wants to rejoin the EU, and the French remark is an invitation, not an offer. The first test will be a specific change that voters can see, such as an easier food-trade deal, and whether the Conservative pledge to rip up the existing one gains traction.
Euronews, Times and Star, Yahoo/PA, Financial Times, BBC, The Independent, The Times, Sky News, Spectator, GOV.UK (8 Oct 2026)
Burnham makes his first official visit to Berlin. Security talks with Merz, and a French minister says Britain may 'come all the way back' to the EU
The Prime Minister was greeted with military honours and agreed deeper cooperation on cybersecurity and sabotage. Talk of rejoining the EU came from Paris, not from Downing Street.
Andy Burnham, who took office on 20 July after Sir Keir Starmer resigned, was received with military honours in Berlin on Thursday at the start of his first official visit as prime minister, the BBC and Euronews reported. The BBC's preview said he would discuss security and EU ties with Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The talks were billed as security talks. Downing Street said the two countries will deepen cooperation on cybersecurity and on countering sabotage, sharing information and coordinating action to monitor and disrupt threats. The visit came after a drone attack on Leipzig/Halle airport in August, which Berlin has accused Russia of orchestrating. The leaders also marked the Kensington Treaty, signed by Mr Merz and Sir Keir Starmer last year, which covers security, the economy and freedom of movement and set up joint forums, including between intelligence services. Mr Burnham said Britain is open to Germany joining the GCAP fighter-jet programme; German officials did not publicly confirm they want to join, and Mr Merz did not mention it in the joint statement. There was no press conference. The statement to the press lasted about seven minutes. Government releases later in the day announced the first UK-Germany tech corridor and a £1 billion German investment to build 4,000 affordable homes across the UK.
The headline question was the European Union. The Financial Times described the visit as a bid to win Mr Merz's support for closer ties with the EU, and Sky News asked whether Berlin will help Britain rejoin. The loudest answer came from Paris. France's finance minister told the BBC, the Independent and The Times that Britain is welcome to "come all the way" back to the EU, and could do so "anytime". Neither Mr Burnham nor Mr Merz said that. Mr Merz said the two countries are, at the least, concluding a bilateral agreement, and no application has been made. Domestic politics is watching. The Conservatives have pledged to rip up the UK-EU food deal, which the FT said risks "huge uncertainty", and The Times has called his EU rethink a puzzle for the SNP. The Spectator said he looked ill at ease in Berlin. The government's own line is that the visit delivers jobs, homes and security. The FT reported separately that the government will press ahead with the Oxford-Cambridge corridor, another growth project, and that Germany is heading for its fastest growth since 2022, a reminder of what a closer partner looks like from London. The question the visit leaves is whether closer European ties can be sold to voters who are still divided on Brexit, and how far Mr Burnham is willing to go before he says so. For now the substance is security and money, not membership, and the words "rejoin" and "EU" were left to others.