UK and Germany enact Kensington Treaty as Burnham proposes joint GCAP fighter jet project

Kensington Treaty enters into force

On Thursday, 8 October 2026, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the Federal Chancellery in Berlin. The two leaders formally enacted the German-British friendship treaty, known as the Kensington Treaty, by exchanging instruments of ratification. The 27-page agreement was signed in July 2025 in the London borough of Kensington by Merz and Burnham's predecessor, Keir Starmer. Supported by a 17-point action plan, the pact establishes bilateral cooperation more than six years after the United Kingdom left the European Union. Its provisions encompass economic policy, joint initiatives against cross-border crime, efforts to curb irregular migration, visa-free school trips, and plans for a direct passenger rail service connecting London and Berlin.

Speaking at the Chancellery, Merz explained the focus on educational and youth exchanges:

That is why we are doing this, so that the younger generation notices in bilateral relations between Germany as part of the European Union and Great Britain just how well we Europeans work together and how much we belong together.

Fighter jet offer and defense realignment

Defense cooperation formed a central component of the discussions in Berlin. Burnham offered Germany the option to join the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), a next-generation stealth fighter initiative currently developed by the United Kingdom, Japan, and Italy. The GCAP aircraft is planned to replace Japanese F-2 fighters as well as British and Italian Eurofighters. The proposal follows the breakdown in summer 2026 of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), a competing project between Germany, France, and Spain that dissolved after partners failed to agree on terms. Prior to the Berlin meeting, an alternative partnership between Airbus and Swedish manufacturer Saab had been considered the most likely route for German procurement.

Burnham confirmed the discussions during his appearance alongside Merz:

That is something that we would like to push forward in the coming time.

Joint response to hybrid threats and sabotage

Alongside combat aviation, the British and German governments announced a joint initiative to counter cyberattacks, sabotage, and hybrid warfare. The partnership focuses on monitoring, deterring, and neutralizing hostile operations directed at critical national infrastructure across Europe, with a focus on Russian activities. Officials noted recent security events, including a drone strike in Leipzig that the German government attributed to Russia, and a terrorism investigation at the Fairford military airbase in Britain, which is also used by United States forces. The two governments pledged coordinated intelligence sharing to disrupt hostile actors operating within Europe.

Burnham detailed the domestic risks posed by infrastructure disruption:

Attacks against infrastructure, businesses and democracies are not a distant threat. They reach into the homes and workplaces of citizens, and are designed to weaken and divide us.

European coordination on Ukraine and diplomacy

The Berlin meeting addressed European security coordination and joint support for Ukraine in its defense against Russia. Burnham and Merz reviewed diplomatic channels coordinated alongside France through the E3 group, whose foreign and security policy advisers remain in contact with officials in Kyiv and Washington. Merz visited Kyiv on Sunday, 4 October 2026, while Burnham traveled to the Ukrainian capital for his first foreign visit after taking office. The leaders also reviewed preparations for the G20 summit scheduled for December 2026 in Florida, to which Washington invited Russian President Vladimir Putin, alongside expected attendance from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Further steps include a UK-EU summit in late November 2026 and bilateral government consultations planned for early 2027.