On 17 July 2025, at the Victoria and Albert Museum (Kensington, London), the United Kingdom and Germany sign the Kensington Treaty — the friendship and bilateral cooperation agreement, the first of its kind since the Second World War.

The treaty covers defence, the response to the war in Ukraine, military technology, easier travel (e-gates, visa-free school exchanges) and the aim of a direct rail service within ten years.

Signed by Keir Starmer and Friedrich Merz, with foreign ministers David Lammy and Johann Wadephul, it builds on the 2024 Trinity House Agreement on defence.

It is presented as part of E3 alignment (UK–France–Germany) in the post-Brexit geopolitical context and the Ukraine war.

For British–German relations, 17 July 2025 marks the formal signing of the Kensington friendship treaty.

The text and official releases are published by the British and German governments.

The Kensington Treaty of 17 July 2025 remains the milestone of postwar UK–Germany bilateral cooperation.

Image: London; Wikimedia Commons. Cropped to 16:9.

Source consulted: Kensington Treaty. Treaty text: UK and Germany sign historic friendship treaty (GOV.UK).