Dear John,

This week saw the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz make his first official visit to the UK; shocking revelations about a data breach affecting thousands of people in Afghanistan dominate the news agenda; and the government announce plans for 16 and 17-year-olds to have the vote.

Here to round up all the headlines is your Weekend Wire.

Definitely do mention the war

The thread of European security and defence - amid Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine and the rising threat to the wider continent - was at the heart of Merz’ trip to London this week, alongside the growing importance of the ‘E3’ group of Britain, France and Germany.

While not an official state visit, there was clear co-ordination on show with French President Emmanuel Macron’s stopover last week. Not least, in the text of the UK and Germany’s first official bilateral agreement since the Second World War.

In the Kensington Treaty, both nations agreed to “intensify trilateral cooperation” with France - as well as the G7 and the UN - and to “reaffirm their commitment” to NATO and to “enhance” Europe’s contribution to its own security. Britain and Germany will “co-ordinate” on "deterrence and defence” and pledged to “assist one another, including by military means, in case of an armed attack on the other”.

Other announcements emerging from the visit included plans for a new direct rail link from London to Berlin, the opening of e-gates for frequent travellers next month, agreeing to make school exchange visits easier - as well as the tightening of laws on people smuggling gangs.

Merz also told the BBC in an interview that “if I were a Brit, a British citizen, I [would have] voted to remain” and that he shares Macron’s view that there is “a risk our societies are growing apart”.

Us too, Friedrich.

Live and direct

Best for Britain’s CEO Naomi Smith took to the airwaves this week with an appearance on the BBC’s Politics Live programme on Thursday, which saw her make a powerful case for the government to go much further and faster on rebuilding ties with the EU.

“What we desperately need is for Von der Leyen and Starmer to deliver on the summit that they had in May… we need to see progress now on the things that will bring down the cost of living. 

“I’m concerned we’re not going  fast enough… we can only go further and faster in order to help the British people.” 

Naomi also argued that the government’s proposed electoral reforms, including lowering the voting age to 16, could make all parties more focused on younger people [more on that later].

“I really hope that what this will do is force all political parties to consider appealing to a much broader cohort of the country rather than simply chasing the votes of their grandparents… I think the real winner here is going to be democracy.”

Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer, or catch the highlights on our BlueSky.

Afghan data breach

We won’t recap the full, and tragic, details of the story which has - rightly - been top of the bulletins since it first broke on Tuesday lunchtime, including the more recent revelations that the identities of British spies and SAS members were included in the leak.

However, if the details are still sketchy, and you want to get the facts straight, we suggest reading defence secretary John Healey’s statement to Parliament, before diving into this week’s podcast episode of Quiet Riot, hosted by Naomi Smith and Alex Andreou, for a wider discussion including on the role of misinformation on such sensitive issues and the rise of the far-right.

The BBC have also published a helpful, one-minute video explainer - although, again, produced before the latest details emerged.

Facts, not fear

They say that you can prove anything with statistics, except the truth. However, this week’s publication of Universal Credit (UC) data broken down by the recipients’ immigration status appeared to be the exception to the rule.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) revealed a breakdown of the 7.9m people receiving  UC payments as of June 2025, after calls from right-wing campaigners, including former Reform UK, now independent, MP Rupert Lowe to differentiate between the 83.6% (or 6.6m) of recipients who are British and Irish nationals, and eligible under a different immigration status, such as EU nationals, those with indefinite leave to remain, and refugees.  

And as Naomi Smith wrote in a compelling piece for LBC opinion, all this proves is that “Britain’s welfare safety net remains overwhelmingly used by British people - including many who’ve suffered stagnant wages, rising housing costs, or health issues, not immigration”. 

“Welfare debates are often wielded like cudgels in populist politics… The danger in peddling these myths isn’t just that it stokes xenophobia. It’s that it distracts us from the real challenges: fixing low pay, strengthening social care, supporting single parents, and ensuring that people with chronic illnesses aren’t trapped in administrative limbo. These are British problems, and they deserve real solutions - not scapegoats.”

Read the full piece on the LBC website.

Teenage dream

In a significant campaign win for Best for Britain, this week the government announced host of reforms to Britain’s electoral laws, including: extending voter ID to include bank cards; toughening up the rules against foreign political interference; and extending the franchise to 16 and 17-year-olds, who will be able to vote in the next general election.

This is important progress, after we began campaigning against exclusionary voter ID rules in 2021. So a huge thank you, for all your support along the way.

“Best for Britain has long championed a fairer, more inclusive voter ID system and we wholeheartedly welcome this decision. Our democracy is precious and these vital changes will enable more of us to have a say in the future of our country, while ensuring malign foreign actors face stronger barriers to threatening the sanctity of the polling booth.”

Read Naomi’s full reaction on our website, and covered by the Independent.

Identity politics

In welcome news for pro-Europeans, the British Foreign Policy Group’s (BFPG) latest annual survey of UK public opinion revealed this week that Brits are “shifting back towards Europe and the EU”. The survey found that “not only is support for closer cooperation with the EU now broad and deep, even among Leave voters, but the majority of Britons now identify as European”.

Factors including “the war in Ukraine, challenges over Brexit, and the retrenchment of the United States all push the UK back towards its European partners”, the BFPG said, while public support for Britain’s “special relationship” with the US has “collapsed, with President Trump seen to be undermining the UK’s national interests”. 

You can read the full, fascinating findings via the BFPG’s website, or Politico’s write up.

This has been your Weekend Wire from Best for Britain. 

Keep an eye out next week for Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s appearance for a grilling in front of senior MPs at the Liaison committee on Monday, before Parliament enters the summer recess. And that’s all just in time for a cheeky, spicy (or non-alcoholic) margarita on Thursday's National Tequila Day.

Cheers to that.

Jessica Frank-Keyes

Senior Press Officer

Best for Britain