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Burnham to Meet German Chancellor in Berlin to Discuss Security and EU Ties
Confirmed
In Short: Foreign Office Minister Andy Burnham will meet German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin to discuss security threats and strengthen ties.
Foreign Office Minister Andy Burnham is set to meet German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin on Thursday, focusing on security threats and deepening cooperation between the UK and Germany.
According to Downing Street, rising hybrid threats from Russia will be a key topic during Burnham's first official visit to Germany.
Burnham emphasized the importance of joining forces to find, expose, and disrupt threats, highlighting the need for collaboration in the face of increasing cyber-security concerns.
The meeting will also cover issues such as space and quantum technology, with Burnham noting that Russia has been mapping undersea cables in the North Sea, posing a potential threat to both countries.
Burnham will also discuss support for Ukraine, responding to instability in the Middle East, and addressing the impact of disruptions to global trade routes like the Strait of Hormuz.
The UK and Germany will convene a Regional Growth Forum, bringing together British and German chief executives to unlock investment and strengthen industrial partnerships.
French finance minister Roland Lescure invited Britain to 'come all the way' back to the EU, suggesting a potential path for closer ties between the UK and the EU.
Burnham's visit comes amid an intelligence scandal in Germany, where former spy chief August Hanning has been arrested on suspicion of espionage, highlighting the urgency of the security discussions.
Germany's interior minister Alexander Dobrindt stated that the Leipzig airport attack followed a 'well-established pattern of Russian hybrid operations in Europe,' underscoring the need for joint efforts to address such threats.
The meeting will also explore new partnerships between German space companies and the UK's Spaceport in Scotland, as well as ensuring research and technical capability in quantum technologies.
Burnham will be greeted with military honours at the Chancellery, marking the significance of the meeting.
The German government spokesman indicated that any future in-out referendum would be primarily a question for Britain, but Berlin supports stronger ties between the UK and the EU.
Background
Foreign Office Minister Andy Burnham is set to hold security talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin, focusing on hybrid threats from Russia and deepening co-operation between the two nations.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Kyiv to finalize a drone deal and announce military and financial aid for Ukraine amid escalating Russian attacks.
What's confirmed
- The two leaders will also convene a UK-Germany Regional Growth Forum, bringing together British and German chief executives, focused on unlocking investment, strengthening industrial partnership and ensuring that the benefits of growth are felt in communities across both countries.
- Mr Burnham and Mr Merz will also discuss support for Ukraine, responding to instability in the Middle East and addressing the impact of disruption to global trade routes, such as the Strait of Hormuz.
- Mr Burnham’s visit also comes at a time when concerns about sabotage and hybrid threats are on the rise in both the UK and Germany.
- Prime Minister Andy Burnham will travel to Berlin on Thursday for his first face-to-face meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
- Mr Hanning, 80, is accused of using classified intelligence to “draft an analysis” for an employee of one foreign intelligence service, and of “passing on information” to an employee of another foreign spying service.
- August Hanning, who headed Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service (BND) from 1998 to 2005, is “strongly suspected of treasonous espionage, spying out state secrets, attempted treason, and espionage”, the federal prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
- Germany’s interior minister Alexander Dobrindt said the Leipzig airport attack followed the “well-established pattern of Russian hybrid operations in Europe” and the assumption was that Germany would be targeted again.
- “Security and growth go hand in hand, and both must be felt in every town and city in our two countries.” The Prime Minister’s trip comes amid an intelligence scandal that has rocked Germany; its former spy chief has been arrested on suspicion of espionage.
- Investigators suspect a second drone collided with a cargo aircraft nearby and a third drone was reportedly found near the airport 10 days later.
What's still developing
- "They reach into people's homes and workplaces, and they are designed to make us weaker and more divided." Asked on BBC Radio 4's Today programme what may change as a result of Thursday's meeting, Foreign Office Minister Stephen Doughty highlighted the issues of space and quantum technology.
- The Berlin talks come after the prime minister told the Labour Party conference he wanted to set out options for a closer relationship with the EU later this year, including the prospect of eventually rejoining the bloc.
- "We always welcome warmth from our European friends and partners."
- He told Radio 4's Today that while Russia had posed a threat to the UK since Vladimir Putin became president in 2001, there had been an "intensification" in response to European support for Ukraine following Russia's invasion.
- Sir Mark Lyall Grant, former UK national security adviser, explained that hybrid warfare "falls somewhere between peace and war - it's in that sort of grey zone, an area where Russia has been extremely active for some time".