On Thursday, the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU), Social Democrats (SPD) and Greens voted in favour of the agreement, while the Alternative for Germany (AfD) voted against it and the Left Party abstained.
Speakers from various parliamentary groups praised German-British friendship in the Bundestag, even after the UK's withdrawal from the EU.
The so-called Kensington Treaty was signed on July 17th, 2025, by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Kensington Palace in London. It is intended to create a new framework for bilateral relations between Germany and the United Kingdom after Brexit.
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Closer cooperation is planned in the areas of foreign, security, and defence policy; internal security and justice; economics, science, and technology; employment; climate, energy and the environment; as well as culture and society.
“The agreement provides for close and trusting cooperation in a wide range of areas,” said Bundestag President Julia Klöckner (CDU) at the start of the debate, which was also attended by British Ambassador Andrew Mitchell.
Klöckner spoke of a new triangle between Germany, the UK and France, to which the agreement would contribute.
'Genuine bridge-building'
CDU politician Günter Krings emphasized German-British cooperation in foreign and security policy and in limiting migration. Stephan Meyer (CSU) spoke of a “genuine bridge-building” between Germany and the UK.
Hubertus Heil (SPD) called for a revival of German-British youth exchanges, which had largely come to a standstill as a result of Brexit. He emphasized the importance of political cooperation between the two countries, especially against the backdrop of US President Donald Trump's policies, which mean that “Europe can no longer rely on its most important ally.”
Chantal Kopf (Greens) welcomed the planned cooperation on climate protection and the expansion of renewable energies. She also praised the joint commitment with the UK to support Ukraine against Russia's war of aggression.
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In addition, she emphatically called for cooperation in the field of armaments as part of a “Europeanization of defence policy.”
The Left Party and AfD did not approve the treaty. “The treaty has its pros and cons,” said Gökay Akbulut (Left Party). She also praised the planned cooperation on climate protection but criticised the broad scope of cooperation on armaments and military affairs in the treaty text and the fact that migration is predominantly viewed as a threat.
Beatrix von Storch (AfD) accused the federal government of wanting to enshrine “a left-wing green agenda” in another international treaty.
She referred to the commitment to the goal of climate neutrality and cooperation in the fight against hate crime.
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