Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof and the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer met at 10 Downing Street in London to discuss the ambition to enhance their bilateral partnership as North Sea Neighbors.

The leaders reflected on the United Kingdom and the Netherlands’ close partnership with strong historical ties and a shared approach to global challenges.  We work together in virtually every domain and are among each other’s top five trading partners.

On the global stage, the Netherlands and the UK are both NATO partners with strong ties to the US. One of the issues discussed during their bilateral meeting is the importance of maintaining support for Ukraine, and effective cooperation to safeguard Europe’s long-term security, for example in the Joint Expeditionary Force. They agreed to work towards a new bilateral security partnership led by their Foreign Ministers. Further cooperation on tackling Serious Organised Crime, and continuing the successes of current cooperation were also covered.

The strong ties between the Netherlands and the United Kingdom are more important than ever at this time of major geopolitical challenges and tensions – including in the area of trade. Besides security and defense partnerships, the two leaders discussed cooperation on energy and fostering innovation.

​PM Schoof and PM Starmer committed to working together towards a new agreement on sustainable energy, and to pursue an innovation partnership. This innovation partnership would consolidate existing partnerships and aim to accelerate growth in key technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum and semiconductors. 

Prime Minister Schoof iterated that the in-person visit was valuable to ensure both nations are on the same page and to discuss ways to strengthen the partnership between the Netherlands and the United Kingdom further.