Sir Keir Starmer is set to woo major investors during a European trip which will see him launch negotiations for a major new UK-Germany treaty.
The Prime Minister is set to meet bosses from Siemens Energy and Rheinmetall, as well as investors from Thales, Eutelsat, Mistral AI and Sanofi during visits to Berlin and Paris.
Sir Keir will also meet German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for the fifth time as the leaders launch talks on the new bilateral treaty, which will focus on business, trade, defence, security, and migration, and is set to be closer than any previous agreement between the two nations.
He is also expected to meet the German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier – before heading on to Paris for the Paralympics Opening Ceremony on Wednesday evening; to meet British Paralympian athletes; and visit President Macron for the fourth time at the Elysée Palace.
Starmer will say: “We have a once in a generation opportunity to reset our relationship with Europe and strive for genuine, ambitious partnerships that deliver for the British people.
“We must turn a corner on Brexit and fix the broken relationships left behind by the previous government.”
Ensuring the UK rebuilds its partnerships with European neighbours and improves the lives of working people in both countries by driving growth is a key focus for the bilateral deal with Europe’s largest economy – representing 8.5 per cent of all UK trade, Starmer will say.
The Prime Minister will add: “Strengthening our relationship with these countries is crucial, not only in tackling the global problem of illegal migration, but also in boosting economic growth across the continent and in the UK – one of the key missions of my government.”
Meeting Siemens chief executive, Dr. Christian Bruch – who employs some 6,000 people in the UK – is one of a run of visits planned by the PM in a bid to boost investment, No10 said.
Starmer will also meet Armin Theodor Papperger, head of Germany’s largest defence firm, which is key to modernising the Army and is set to deliver Boxer armoured fighting vehicles.
Some 330,000 UK jobs are supported by German firms, from Derby to Oxford, while UK exports to Germany support a further 500,000 jobs, the government stressed.
The two-day Europe visit comes after Starmer hosted Crown Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of Bahrain, at No10 on Tuesday, to discuss Gulf inward investment ahead of the UK’s International Investment Summit in October.
No10 expects the new German treaty to be a central thread within the UK’s wider reset with Europe, alongside the defence agreement which is under negotiation ahead of this autumn.
The Prime Minister’s negotiators will spend the next six months agreeing the new treaty, which is set to cover increased collaboration on market access, science and tech, clean energy, supply chains and the green transition, and it is expected to be concluded in 2025.