Prime Minister Andy Burnham is in Berlin today for talks with Chancellor Friedrich Merz, where the UK and Germany have committed to deeper cooperation on tackling cyber-attacks, sabotage, and other hybrid threats. The two nations, described as Europe’s largest economies and biggest investors in defence, are launching a counter-hybrid threat partnership.
This new joint-partnership will focus on identifying and disrupting hybrid activity, sharing information, and coordinating action to monitor, deter, and disrupt threats. The aim is to degrade hostile actors’ capacity to operate in Europe and build resilience against cyber-attacks, sabotage, and threats to critical infrastructure.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated that attacks on infrastructure, businesses, and democracies are not a distant threat and are designed to make nations weaker and more divided. He added that Britain and Germany are joining forces to find, expose, and disrupt this activity.
During their meeting, the leaders will also discuss other security and geopolitical challenges, including support for Ukraine, instability in the Middle East, and disruptions to global trade routes. They will also convene a UK-Germany Regional Growth Forum with British and German CEOs to discuss unlocking investment and strengthening industrial partnerships.
These announced measures follow the formal ratification of the 2025 Kensington Treaty, which commits both countries to deeper cooperation on science, technology, defence, security, and growth.