The 2021 Federal Election, the New Coalition Government of Olaf Scholz, and British/German Relations

Abstract

Relations between Germany and the United Kingdom (UK) had hit a new post-war low towards the latter stages of the Merkel era. ‘Brexit’, however, made matters much worse. German politicians, commentators and the wider public were astonished that the UK could contemplate leaving the European Union (EU) and were in disbelief at the result of the 2016 referendum. Changes in the leadership of the two countries have allowed for a degree of optimism regarding the prospects to improve, renew and even to rehabilitate the partnership between the two countries now outside of the EU structures. The ‘Windsor Agreement’, resolving tensions over the Northern Ireland Protocol between the UK and the EU, will help. This contribution unpacks the wider consequences of the political alignments between Germany and Britain and considers the future of the bilateral relationship.