German warplanes to fly from Britain under defence pact

Plans to develop new drones and long-range strike weapons as part of Anglo-German 'reset'

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz greets British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the Chancellery on Friday, in Berlin. Getty Images

German warplanes will fly from an air base in Britain under a new post-Brexit defence pact to be signed on Wednesday.

The submarine-hunting Luftwaffe planes will take off from Scotland, patrolling the North Atlantic as part of efforts to counter Russia's influence. The two Nato allies also plan to develop new drones and long-range strike weapons under the wide-ranging pact.

German arms conglomerate Rheinmetall is set to open a factory, to make artillery gun barrels using British steel, under what will be known as the Trinity House Agreement. The pact has been negotiated as an Anglo-German equivalent of the 2010 Lancaster House treaties between Britain and France.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer made the deal a priority as part of a post-Brexit "reset" with mainland Europe. The defence pact is the first pillar in a planned wider treaty and will see the two countries work on developing longer-range weapons than Britain's existing Storm Shadow missiles.

They will also work together to protect underwater cables against possible threats from Russian activity at sea, and look at equipping German Sea King helicopters with modern missile systems for use by Ukraine's armed forces.

It is hoped closer ties will help strengthen the “European pillar” of Nato, amid doubts over US assistance if Donald Trump returns to the White House. Britain's Defence Secretary John Healey called the pact a "milestone moment in our relationship with Germany, and a major strengthening of Europe’s security".

He said it provided for "unprecedented levels of new co-operation with the German armed forces and industry", boosting both countries' industrial base. "We will build on this new co-operation in the months and years ahead," he said.

Under the agreement, the Ministry of Defence said German P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft will “periodically” operate out of RAF Lossiemouth in Moray, Scotland. They could be armed with UK-supplied torpedoes, helping to secure the North Atlantic.

Steel industry

It is envisaged that the new Rheinmetall plant will begin producing artillery gun barrels in 2027. Britain will make the components for the first time in a decade using steel made by Sheffield Forgemasters. The defence company's chief executive had an appointment with Mr Starmer when the new PM visited Berlin in August.

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, who has been tipped as a possible future chancellor, said the Nato allies "must not take security in Europe for granted". He said Russia "is increasing its weapons production immensely and has repeatedly launched hybrid attacks on our partners in eastern Europe".

“With the Trinity House Agreement, we are showing that the Nato allies have recognised what these times require and are determined to improve their deterrence and defence capabilities," he said. “It is particularly important to me that we co-operate even more closely to strengthen Nato’s eastern flank and to close critical capability gaps, for instance in the field of long-range strike weapons.”

Wider treaty talks on North Sea trade, clean energy, market access, technology and skills are expected to take about six months. Germany is likely to be disappointed on migration after lobbying for relaxed visa rules for under-30s, a political can of worms Mr Starmer is reluctant to open.