British Prime Minister Andy Burnham will travel to Berlin today, where he and his German counterpart will announce a new security partnership aimed at “countering sabotage and cyberattacks.”
During the first face-to-face meeting between Burnham and Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the two leaders will discuss ways to protect their countries from hybrid threats, as well as opportunities to cooperate on innovation and regional economic growth.
The new security partnership will enable the two countries to share intelligence and coordinate efforts to monitor and neutralize threats, while also weakening the ability of hostile actors to operate across Europe and strengthening the protection of critical infrastructure.
The move follows similar agreements signed by the UK with the European Union and Turkey since the Labour Party came to power two years ago.
Burnham and Merz will also discuss the war in Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East and efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The two leaders are also expected to announce the creation of an “industrial technology corridor,” through which companies from both countries will form partnerships and compete for access to a €20 million fund aimed at accelerating research in quantum technology.
The initiative is backed by several major German companies, including Allianz, Bosch and Siemens.
Speaking ahead of his visit, Burnham said: “Attacks on our infrastructure, businesses and democracies are not a distant threat. They directly affect people’s homes and jobs and are designed to make us weaker and more divided.”
“Britain and Germany are joining forces to identify, expose and stop this activity. Security and growth go hand in hand, and both must be felt in every city across our two countries.”
