U.K., Germany to sign mutual defense treaty

Britain and Germany are preparing a defense pact one year after they issued a declaration on improving relations.

According to a report in Politico on Wednesday, the deal is still being finalized, but the two nations are expected to sign the agreement on July 17 before both governments enter summer recess.

The pact reportedly builds on October’s Trinity House Agreement and last summer’s joint declaration, which were aimed at improving German and British defensive coordination amid Russian aggression against Ukraine.

Importantly, the agreement has a mutual assistance clause, which says that a strategic threat to one nation is a threat to the other.

The pact is also expected to provide outlines for British-German industrial cooperation, as well as measures on how the two nations can tackle illegal immigration. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz have received significant domestic criticism from conservatives over the number of immigrants entering the country.

Though former Chancellor Olaf Scholz got the ball rolling last year with the pact, it could be a major win for Mr. Merz as he tries to foster increased defensive cooperation among EU countries.

Indeed, Mr. Merz has painted himself as Europe’s new defensive leader since taking office in May, promising to turn Germany’s military into the largest conventional army on the continent. He has been one of the foremost proponents of NATO’s new defense spending goal, which will see member nations contributing 5% of their gross domestic product to defense.