Burnham and Merz to hold security talks in Berlin

Prime Minister Andy Burnham will hold talks on tackling cyber-security threats and sabotage with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday.

Downing Street said deeper co-operation in the face of rising hybrid threats from Russia would be high on the agenda during Burnham's first official visit to Germany.

Intelligence services in both countries have warned of rising threats, including last month when Germany accused Russia of launching a drone fitted with explosives at Leipzig/Halle Airport.

The Berlin talks come days after Burnham told the Labour Party's conference he wanted to set out options for a closer relationship with the EU later this year, including the prospect of eventually rejoining the bloc.

A German government spokesman has said any future in-out referendum would be primarily a question for Britain, but that Berlin supports stronger ties between the UK and the EU.

Meanwhile, French finance minister Roland Lescure invited Britain to "come all the way" back to the EU, in an interview with the BBC's economics editor Faisal Islam.

'Come all the way' back to EU, French finance minister tells UK

Burnham is set to be greeted with military honours at the German capital's Chancellery ahead of his first face-to-face meeting with the chancellor.

On Thursday, the two leaders will formally ratify the 2025 Kensington Treaty, a partnership committing both countries to tackle hostile activity through deeper cooperation on science, technology, defence, security and growth.

Speaking ahead of the visit, Burnham said the UK and Germany were "joining forces to find, expose and disrupt" threats.

He continued: "Attacks on our infrastructure, our businesses and our democracies are not a distant threat.

"They reach into people's homes and workplaces, and they are designed to make us weaker and more divided."

European leaders have warned the threat of hybrid attacks against Europe by Russia has intensified in recent weeks.

Hybrid warfare or hybrid attacks are loose terms which tend to describe non-military methods designed to exert pressure and destabilise an adversary - for example cyber attacks, sabotage or misinformation.

Last month, a senior Russian diplomat was summoned by the British government over an "egregious and reckless attack" on Leipzig airport.

It is a major international freight hub used for providing support to Ukraine. Moscow has denied any involvement in the incident.

Meanwhile, questions have also been raised this week about Germany's reliability as an intelligence partner, following the bombshell arrest of a former spy chief on suspicion of espionage .

August Hanning has been accused of espionage, treason and obtaining classified information for a foreign power, the German Federal Prosecutor's Office says.

He ran the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) from 1998 to 2005 and has since been working as a private consultant.

The talks also come during a period in which Merz's own political future has come under intense scrutiny.

Burnham replaced Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in July after the former leader was forced out by his own MPs just two years after winning a landslide election victory.

Similarly, Merz has faced persistent rumours he could be replaced by his party due to his poor approval ratings and following setbacks in regional elections .

Although the chancellor appears to have overcome an immediate crisis in his leadership, questions remain over his future.

Additional reporting by Ottilie Mitchell.

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