IN an astonishing plea, a number of high profile Germans, including the woman set to replace Angela Merkel as the next Chancellor, have told Britain that the “door will always remain open” if the UK ever wants to reverse Brexit.
In a letter to The Times, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, and two dozen others, including the heads of Germany’s main political parties plus leading figures from business, sport and the arts, urged the UK not to give up on the continent.
“After the horrors of the Second World War, Britain did not give up on us. It has welcomed Germany back as a sovereign nation and a European power,” they wrote.
“This we, as Germans, have not forgotten and we are grateful.”
“Britain has become part of who we are as Europeans,” the letter goes on.
“We would miss Britain as part of the European Union, especially in these troubled times.
"Therefore Britons should know: from the bottom of our hearts, we want them to stay.”
The letter said they respected the choice of the British people to leave, but if the UK decided to stay, “our door will always remain open”.
The German leaders went on to say: “We would miss the legendary British black humour and going to the pub after work hours to drink an ale.
"We would miss tea with milk and driving on the left-hand side of the road. And we would miss seeing the panto at Christmas.
“But more than anything else, we would miss the British people – our friends across the Channel.”
Kramp-Karrenbauer was the most high-profile signatory of the letter, but she was joined by Andrea Nahles, the leader of the Social Democratic party, the Greens co-leaders and the head of the German parliament’s foreign affairs committee.
The signatories also included the president of the Federation of German Industries and senior executives at Daimler and Airbus, as well as sporting and cultural figures such as the former German footballer Jens Lehmann and the singer Campino.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel