UK and Germany hold Berlin security talks on cyber threats and sabotage

Prime Minister Andy Burnham is due to meet German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin on Thursday for talks focused on cyber-security threats, sabotage and wider cooperation against hybrid attacks. The meeting is Burnham's first official visit to Germany and comes as both governments say they are facing rising pressure from hostile activity. The talks are being framed around efforts to strengthen joint defences against threats linked to Russia.

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Downing Street said deeper cooperation in response to hybrid threats would be high on the agenda. Intelligence services in both countries have warned of growing risks, and German authorities last month accused Russia of launching a drone fitted with explosives at Leipzig/Halle Airport. Burnham is also expected to be greeted with military honours at the German capital's Chancellery before his first face-to-face meeting with Merz.

The two leaders are also due to formally ratify the 2025 Kensington Treaty during the visit. The agreement commits both countries to closer cooperation on science, technology, defence, security and growth. Burnham said the UK and Germany were "joining forces to find, expose and disrupt" threats, adding that attacks on infrastructure, businesses and democracies were designed to make societies weaker and more divided.

The talks carry wider significance because they come at a time when European governments are increasingly focused on protecting critical infrastructure and countering sabotage. The reference to hybrid threats reflects a broader pattern of concern across the continent, where cyber operations, drone incidents and other forms of covert pressure are being treated as part of the same security challenge. For London and Berlin, the meeting is also a signal of intent to deepen bilateral ties at a sensitive moment.

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The visit comes days after Burnham told the Labour Party conference that he wanted to set out options for a closer relationship with the European Union later this year, including the prospect of eventually rejoining the bloc. A German government spokesman has said any future in-out referendum would primarily be a question for Britain, while adding that Berlin supports stronger ties between the UK and the EU. The talks also take place as Merz faces scrutiny over his political future, although he appears to have avoided an immediate leadership crisis.

What remains unclear is how far the two sides will go beyond the treaty ratification and whether the Berlin talks will produce any new operational steps on cyber defence or sabotage prevention. It is also not yet clear whether the meeting will lead to further public detail on intelligence cooperation or on the response to the Leipzig/Halle incident. The main focus now will be on the joint statement expected after the talks and any sign of follow-up measures on infrastructure protection.

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