Germany, and the UK hailed a major treaty to deepen ties in many areas ranging from defence to immigration. It's the latest push from Britain to reset relations with the European Union after Brexit in 2020. It comes after a recent treaty between France and the UK was signed last week.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz signed the Kensington treaty on Thursday (17 July) - the first formal UK-Germany agreement since WWII. The treaty outlines cooperation on migration, defence technology, trade, and education, including school exchanges as well as a rail link for a London–Berlin line .
Though Merz “deeply deplores” Brexit, he emphasized the importance of including the UK in European security efforts during growing threats from Russia and uncertainty over the U.S.’s NATO role.
Merz also said that the recent agreement between the UK and France should be extended to include Germany, creating a more unified approach to tackling irregular migration and urges for a trilateral agreement.
Merz's day trip follows a three-day state visit to Britain by French President Emmanuel Macron, signalling greater cooperation between Europe's top three powers at a time of threats to the continent and uncertainty about their U.S. ally.
"The cooperation between the United Kingdom and France … has to be complemented by an agreement that we aim to achieve between the three of us: UK, Germany, France,” Merz stated.
Starmer supported this, describing the pact as “a statement of our ambition to work ever more closely together.”
"We see the scale of the challenges our continent faces today, and we intend to meet them head on," Starmer said.
This aligns the UK more closely with Europe’s largest powers on critical security and migration challenges intensified by the Ukraine war.
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The United Kingdom recorded a provisional high of 36.4°C on Thursday, according to the Met Office, making it the hottest June day on record. The extreme heat is part of a wider heatwave affecting much of Western Europe, with temperatures remaining well above seasonal averages.
At least 188 people have been killed and 1,520 injured after powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela, Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said. The quakes caused widespread destruction around Caracas, collapsing buildings and trapping residents, with fears the toll could rise significantly.
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China has urged the United States to end its decades-long sanctions and embargo on Cuba after Washington imposed new restrictive measures on entities and an individual linked to the Cuban government.
India and the U.S. are close to finalising a long-awaited trade agreement, Indian Trade Minister Piyush Goyal said on Thursday after the latest round of negotiations with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
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