The United Kingdom and Germany have signed a wide-ranging new agreement aimed at deepening bilateral ties, including plans to launch a direct rail link between London and Berlin.
Dubbed the Kensington Treaty, the pact also includes the introduction of e-gates for frequent travellers, student exchange programmes, joint efforts to combat people-smuggling, and closer defence cooperation.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, on his first official visit to the UK, signed the treaty alongside Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer during a ceremony at the Victoria and Albert Museum in Kensington.
As part of the treaty, transport experts from both countries will form a joint taskforce to explore how to implement border and security checks for long-distance train travel between the UK and Germany.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the new rail connection could become a viable alternative to air travel within the next ten years.
“We’re pioneering a new era of European rail connectivity and are determined to put Britain at the heart of a better-connected continent,” she said.
“The Brandenburg Gate, the Berlin Wall and Checkpoint Charlie – in just a matter of years, rail passengers in the UK could be able to visit these iconic sights direct from the comfort of a train, thanks to a direct connection linking London and Berlin.
“This landmark agreement – part of a new treaty the prime minister [has signed] with Chancellor Merz today – has the potential to fundamentally change how millions of people travel between our two countries, offering a faster, more convenient and significantly greener alternative to flying.”
Sir Keir described the treaty as, “evidence of the closeness of our relationship as it stands today” and “a statement of intent, a statement of our ambition to work ever more closely together.”
In a significant move on border enforcement, Downing Street said the agreement will make it easier for German authorities to target warehouses used by people-smuggling gangs to store small boats intended for illegal Channel crossings.
Chancellor Merz also pledged to introduce legislation by the end of the year that would make facilitating illegal migration to the UK a criminal offence – currently not the case in Germany for non-EU destinations like post-Brexit Britain.
“Chancellor Merz’s commitment to make necessary changes to German law to disrupt the supply lines of the dangerous vessels which carry illegal migrants across the Channel is hugely welcome,” said Starmer.
The treaty also announced over £200 million in commercial investment into the UK, expected to generate more than 600 new jobs. A new UK-Germany Business Forum has been created to bolster economic ties.
On defence, the agreement paves the way for the joint export of military equipment such as Typhoon jets and Boxer armoured vehicles. Downing Street anticipates this will lead to billions in additional defence exports.
The German deal follows a similar pilot agreement with France announced during President Emmanuel Macron’s recent state visit, under which the UK will return some small boat arrivals in exchange for receiving an equivalent number of asylum seekers with existing UK ties.
With more than 21,000 people having crossed the Channel so far this year – a 56% rise compared to the same period in 2024 – the UK government continues to face mounting pressure over border control.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp of the Conservative Party criticised the deal, saying, “This is just more of the same tired, headline-chasing from Keir Starmer.
“This government has clearly lost control of our borders and left the country exposed when they cancelled our returns deterrent.”
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