Starmer says coalition of willing’s plan for peacekeeping force for Ukraine includes troops on ground
Q: [From Bloomberg] What do you think of the EU budget, and were you sufficiently informed in advance? Will there be a conflict between Brussels and Berlin?
Merz says this was discussed at the last European Council meeting. He says he was surprised. The proposal on the table now changes the weighting on different positions.
He says he cannot accept a tax on companies by the EU. If necesssary, they will have a unanimous vote. He is opposed to creating the burden on companies.
He says the debt issues faced are “the new normal”.
It will be a tough struggle for the next two years, he says.
Q: How realistic is it to talk of a European peacekeeping force for Ukraine. Will it involve boots on the grounds?
Starmer says it is important to show how this all fits to together.
First, they must get Putin to the table. That is why Ukraine must be in the strongest possible position.
If there are peace talks, “it must then be a lasting peace”, he says.
That was the thinking behind having a coalition of the willing.
He says he is glad plans started months ago. Those plans cover, air, sea ‘“and, yes, land”, he says.
A land element is included, he says.
He thinks the plans are “completed as far as they can be”. They could be operationalised now, he says.
He says it would have been a mistake to have delayed planning until the the ceasefire started.
And a command structure is in place, he says.
And that is the end of the press conference.
Key events
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Starmer says coalition of willing’s plan for peacekeeping force for Ukraine includes troops on ground
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Merz says Ukraine will be ‘much better positioned’ as new supplies of arms arrive
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Starmer defends suspending 4 Labour rebels, saying government must be able to deliver change
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Starmer and Merz hold press conference
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Starmer and Merz sign UK-Germany friendship and cooperation treaty
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Starmer says coalition of willing’s plan for peacekeeping force for Ukraine includes troops on ground
Q: [From Bloomberg] What do you think of the EU budget, and were you sufficiently informed in advance? Will there be a conflict between Brussels and Berlin?
Merz says this was discussed at the last European Council meeting. He says he was surprised. The proposal on the table now changes the weighting on different positions.
He says he cannot accept a tax on companies by the EU. If necesssary, they will have a unanimous vote. He is opposed to creating the burden on companies.
He says the debt issues faced are “the new normal”.
It will be a tough struggle for the next two years, he says.
Q: How realistic is it to talk of a European peacekeeping force for Ukraine. Will it involve boots on the grounds?
Starmer says it is important to show how this all fits to together.
First, they must get Putin to the table. That is why Ukraine must be in the strongest possible position.
If there are peace talks, “it must then be a lasting peace”, he says.
That was the thinking behind having a coalition of the willing.
He says he is glad plans started months ago. Those plans cover, air, sea ‘“and, yes, land”, he says.
A land element is included, he says.
He thinks the plans are “completed as far as they can be”. They could be operationalised now, he says.
He says it would have been a mistake to have delayed planning until the the ceasefire started.
And a command structure is in place, he says.
And that is the end of the press conference.
Q: Which countries will supply weapons to Ukraine? And to what extent will you buy them from the US?
Merz says it won’t happen immediately, but it will happen within days or weeks.
Starmer says the UK has been working with allies on “capability” for Ukraine for some time. It has done a lot of work on training, he says.
He says President Zelenskyy has shown his willingness to come to the table. Now President Putin must do the same.
Merz says Ukraine will be ‘much better positioned’ as new supplies of arms arrive
Q: [From Anne McElvoy at Politico] How long will it take to get new weapons to Ukraine? Will there be further economic sanctions?
Starmer says the treaty signed this morning was a “work plan” that can kick in straight away.
As other European countries increase their spending, they must cooperate more on procurement and production, he says.
Q: You promised to deliver Taurus weapons to Ukraine. Why has that not happened yet?
Merz says he and Starmer discussed military support for Ukraine in great deal today. They won’t talk about the details in public. But Ukraine will be “much better positioned”, he says.
Q: It is Angela Merkel’s birthday today? Have you sent her congratulations?
Of course he sends her his best wishes, Merz says.
Merz is now answering Beth Rigby’s two questions to him, about illegal migration and President Trump.
He starts by joking about how long her questions were. He has all day to answer, he jokes.
He says the German government has taken a further step to deal with this problem.
He says they are looking at a joint deal with the UK and France on this issue.
Starmer intervenes, to say he is very grateful to Merz for the changes being made on migration rules.
Starmer defends suspending 4 Labour rebels, saying government must be able to deliver change
The opening remarks are open, and now they are taking questions.
Q: [From Beth Rigby from Sky News] Will the UK be involved in the Trump plan to sell arms to Ukraine?
Starmer says this offer is really important. Germany and the UK are working together on that, he says. It shows the strength of Germany, France and the UK working together.
Q: When 47 Labour MPs rebelled against Tony Blair over welfare in his first year, he did not suspend any of them. Why are you so rattled by this? Doesn’t this make you look weak?
Starmer says Labour was elected to change the country for the better. It inherited a broken economy and broken public services. No new government has had both those problems. He says he has to deal with people who “repeatedly break the whip” because the government needs to implement change.
Merz says President Trump’s announcement about supplying more weapons to Ukraine earlier this week was “very important”.
European countries will pay for them, he says. German will make an important contribution, he says. But he says they need to discuss the details with allies.
Merz says Germany is linked to France by treaty, and the UK also has a treaty link with France. All three treaties (ie, including the UK-Germany one) are complementary, he says. He says it is “no coincidence” that he is in London just after President Macron’s state visit.
Merz is speaking now. He starts in English, but quickly switches to German.
He says he and Starmer signed their treaty in the V&A museum today. That is why it is called the Kensington Treaty. And they chose the V&A because “the union of Queen Victoria and her German husband, Prince Albert, lasted a lifetime and was a happy one”.
One of the features of the deal announced today includes plans to a direct rail link between the UK and Germany, the government says. It says:
This significant step forward on establishing direct rail services comes as the UK and Germany commit to enhancing sustainable transport links and collaborate in the field of sustainable, innovative and universally accessible transport solutions and mobility.
Starmer opens the press conference by talking about the cooperation treaty signed today.
Here is the No 10 readout of their earlier talks in Downing Street.
Starmer and Merz hold press conference
Keir Starmer and Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, are holding their press conference at the Airbus factory in Stevenage.
There is a live feed here.
