UK and Germany sign landmark ‘defence’ treaty

“Today is a significant day for UK and German relations and in the history of our two countries,” Defence Secretary John Healey said at a press conference following the signing.

“This is the driving force behind our Nato-first UK defence strategy, behind our reset of UK relations with Europe,” he said.

Labour promised to build closer military ties with Germany while in opposition and this is part of a wider push by this government to reset relations with key European allies post Brexit.

The German Ambassador to the UK, Miguel Berger, said the European Commission will have a very strong focus on defence in the next five years, and there is space for the UK to be involved.

“Obviously the question is – what can the role of the British defence industry and of the capacities of the United Kingdom be in this joint endeavour?” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

The UK already has a defence pact with France – the Lancaster House Treaty signed in 2010 by David Cameron and Nicholas Sarkozy – but this is the first with Germany.

The UK and Germany are the two largest defence spenders in Europe and the biggest European military donors to Ukraine.

Healey said it was a “milestone moment”, bringing the two countries’ militaries and defence industries closer.

In reality the two nations already co-operate as members of the Nato alliance.

In a joint venture, they are also building new tanks and armoured vehicles for the British Army, Germany’s Rheinmetall and the UK’s BAE Systems-formed RBSL to manufacture the Boxer armoured fighting vehicle and the latest Challenger 3 tank in Telford, Shropshire.