Starmer hails ‘first ever’ treaty between UK and Germany, including airport e-gates, train links and school trips
Sir Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz have signed a treaty as the two nations look to "work ever more closely" on issues such as trade and security.
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The treaty is set to give Britons access to e-gates at German airports, establish a direct train link between London and Berlin, and set up exchange visits between British and German schools.
The Prime Minister said the ‘historic’ so-called Kensington Treaty is evidence of “how close our countries are and our ambition for the future,” after signing the document at the V&A Museum in London.
Sir Keir said: "It's a privilege to have you here today, particularly to sign this Kensington Treaty, which is a very special treaty, because it's the first of its kind ever, if you can believe it, between our two countries."
The agreement also includes planned changes to German law which will criminalise facilitating the smuggling of migrants to the UK, which Starmer said he is “very grateful” for.
The Prime Minister said: "Last week, we obviously dealt with what's happening in the north of France in relation to maritime tactics and our ability to return people through the returns agreement that we agreed last week to France.
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"But for a long time, I've been very concerned about the fact that engines, in particular, but component parts of the boats that are being used are travelling through and being stored in Germany, but they can't be seized because the law didn't accommodate for a country which had left the EU and therefore needed to be amended.
"And I am very grateful for the chancellor, and we've discussed this at great length on a number of occasions, he's now going to change the law, introduce the necessary legislation, so that we can intervene in that place."
The German Chancellor said he wanted to tackle illegal immigration with co-operation between the UK, Germany and France, saying: "Our objective is to closely co-operate with the United Kingdom.
"The co-operation between the United Kingdom and France that was agreed last week has to be complemented by an agreement that we aim to achieve, between the three of us - UK, Germany, France.
"We want to stand up and trust to and drastically reduce illegal migration in Europe. We are on a good path, but we haven't reached the target yet."
Mr Merz also criticised Brexit, saying he personally "deplore(s)" Britain's decision to leave the EU.
In a press conference alongside Starmer, Mr Merz said: "The United Kingdom, and I personally deplore this deeply, decided to leave the European Union."
Speaking through a translator, he added that "it is together that we respond to the major challenges of our time".
The treaty will tackle one of the most visible effects of Brexit, as some British passengers will soon be able to use the E-gates at passport control in German airports.
Since Brexit, UK travellers arriving at EU airports have generally been forced to queue for manned desks to have their passports stamped, rather than use automated gates with facial recognition technology.
This has led to many passengers facing long queues, particularly during peak periods, as US nationals are able to quickly pass through the e-gates.
Frequent travellers from the UK will initially be allowed to use the E-gates starting from August, after which the scheme will be rolled out to more travellers.
The two nations have also agreed to establish a task force that will work on paving the way for direct train services between London and Berlin, after previous plans for a link between the capital and Frankfurt were shelved.
It is hoped these rail services could begin within the next decade. Channel tunnel train operator Eurostar recently also unveiled plans to launch direct services connecting the UK with Germany and Switzerland.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: "We're pioneering a new era of European rail connectivity and are determined to put Britain at the heart of a better-connected continent.
"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 sites direct from the comfort of a train, thanks to a direct connection linking London and Berlin."
She added that the agreement has the potential to "fundamentally change how millions of people travel" between the UK and Germany by offering a "faster, more convenient and significantly greener alternative to flying".
The agreement was also signed by Foreign Secretary David Lammy and his German counterpart Johann Wadephul.