Andy Burnham says Britain seeks deeper EU cooperation "towards the end of the year"

During his first trip to Berlin as prime minister, Andy Burnham met Chancellor Friedrich Merz for talks centered on security, where the two leaders formalized the UK-German Kensington Treaty and Burnham said Britain was open to Germany joining the Global Combat Air Programme, the UK-Italy-Japan effort to develop a next-generation fighter. He also raised joint efforts against hybrid threats. Turning to Britain's relationship with Brussels, Burnham said he seeks deeper cooperation with the European Union at a summit planned for late in the year, and Merz welcomed his reopening of that question. The date remains uncertain because it was postponed from July after Keir Starmer resigned as prime minister.