Burnham took office on July 20 after replacing Keir Starmer, whose government had come under growing pressure following electoral losses, internal Labour Party disputes and weak public support. Starmer’s departure capped a turbulent final period in office in which domestic political problems increasingly dominated his government’s attention.
The change in leadership came less than a year after Starmer and Merz had made a major push to bring Britain and Germany closer.
The two governments signed the Kensington Treaty in July 2025. It laid out plans for closer work across defense and security, economic ties, transport and migration.
Defense has become one of the strongest parts of the relationship. Britain and Germany signed the Trinity House Agreement in October 2024, creating a framework for much closer military and defense-industrial cooperation. Since then, they have expanded work on joint weapons projects and military coordination while remaining major European supporters of Ukraine.
Burnham now has the chance to give those efforts new political momentum while setting his own approach to Europe. He entered Downing Street promising an intense domestic focus, but has since embarked on a diplomatic blitz, including meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy along with France’s President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. President Donald Trump.
While Burnham is enjoying an early bout of optimism about his leadership, he will meet a German government facing significant domestic pressure.
Merz’s Christian Democrats suffered sharp losses in two state elections this month, while the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has gained support nationally. POLITICO’s Poll of Polls puts the AfD at 28 percent, ahead of the Christian Democrats at 20 percent.
For both governments, the October meeting offers an early opportunity to show that the closer relationship built over the past two years can continue under new political leadership in London.
