Germany’s Merkel signals quarantine easing after meeting Johnson on final UK visit
- Merkel said she was ‘worried’ over the decision to allow large crowds into the Wembley stadium for the final stages of the Euro 2020 tournament
- On Brexit, Johnson stressed that there were still issues to fix over implementing the EU exit deal that was signed last year
Britain to lift lockdown rules despite raging Delta variant
The underlying tensions over travel were clear when Merkel and Johnson spoke at odds over the decision to allow large crowds into the Wembley soccer stadium for the final stages of the Euro 2020 tournament.
“The crucial point is that … here in the UK we have built up a very considerable wall of immunity against the disease by our vaccination programme,” Johnson said, after Merkel said she was “worried and sceptical” about large crowds at matches.
Merkel become the first foreign leader to address the British cabinet since US President Bill Clinton did so in 1997 at the invitation of then Prime Minister Tony Blair.
“I personally believe that within the framework of this Northern Ireland protocol … we can find pragmatic solutions,” Merkel said. Johnson said it could be sorted out with “goodwill and patience”.
The two leaders also agreed a number of initiatives, ranging from an annual joint meeting of the British and German cabinets, to cultural and youth exchange programmes. They announced a new academic prize named after pioneering German-born British astrophysicist Caroline Herschel.