German Chancellor Olaf Scholz meets Sir Keir Starmer at Chequers ahead of EU visit

The two leaders met at the Prime Minister's country residence ahead of his visit to Belgium on Monday, where he will meet with EU chiefs in an effort to “reset” relations with the block.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at Chequers on Sunday ahead of his visit to Belgium.

The two leaders discussed Ukraine and the Middle East, among other topics, during their meeting at the Prime Minister’s country residence, a No 10 spokesperson said.

Sir Keir and Mr Scholz also enjoyed a private walk through the estate grounds before having lunch in the dining room, spending around two and a half hours together.

As he arrived, Mr Scholz warmly shook hands with Sir Keir and posed for photos with the Prime Minister.

At the the top of their meeting, Sir Keir said: “Olaf, my friend, you’re very, very welcome here at Chequers and thank you so much for making the time for this important meeting, particularly when you’re in the middle of an election campaign.

“When I started as Prime Minister seven months ago now, I was determined to strengthen the relationship between our two countries – already very good, but I thought it could be stronger on a number of fronts.

“And thanks to your leadership, I think we’ve made real progress.”

The UK and Germany share a “common approach on key issues and challenges”, including the war in Ukraine, Sir Keir told his counterpart.

As he plans to fly to Belgium to meet European leaders, Sir Keir added: “I’m very much looking forward to coming for the dinner on Monday on the eve of the EU Council, and of course the wider reset in relations between the UK and EU.”

Mr Scholz echoed that his visit to Chequers was “a good sign of the very good relations between our two countries, and indeed between the two of us.”