Boris Johnson and Angela Merkel have just held a joint press conference following their meeting at Chequers. The usual contrast in styles was on display; Merkel picked her words very cautiously while Johnson made sausages jokes—quipping that the ‘wurst was behind us’ when it came to chilled meats and the Northern Ireland protocol.
On a more substantive level, Merkel expressed concerns about the size of the crowds at the Euro 2020 games; and remember they’ll be even bigger for the semi-final and final at Wembley. But Johnson argued that the vaccines and pre-match testing made these pretty safe events.
The Johnson-Merkel relationship has been defined by Brexit. But today’s visit was part of an attempt to try and put UK German bilateral relations on a better footing. The proposed joint meeting of the UK and German Cabinets every year and the new joint declaration is designed to provide a framework for Anglo-German relations in the years ahead.
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