Merkel visits UK for last time as German leader

German chancellor Angela Merkel is stepping down this year after 15 years in power. /AFP/Markus Schreiber / POOL

Angela Merkel is on an official visit to the UK, her 22nd and last as Germany's chancellor – a role she has held for almost 16 years.

Merkel will meet The Queen and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson at his official country residence, Chequers. She'll also address a meeting of the UK Cabinet – the first foreign leader to do so since U.S. president Bill Clinton in 1997.

Ahead of the trip, Boris Johnson said: "The UK and Germany have a steadfast friendship and a shared outlook on many issues. Over the 16 years of Chancellor Merkel's tenure, the UK-Germany relationship has been re-energized and reinvigorated for a new era."

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Travel and Brexit

Travel will be high on the agenda when the two leaders meet. According to

The Times

newspaper, the chancellor wants to ban UK travelers from visiting the European Union (EU). It comes after a rise in cases of the Delta variant across the UK in recent weeks. On Thursday, the World Health Organization said the variant was now a risk across the whole continent.

Johnson plans to relax almost all remaining coronavirus restrictions in England on July 19 and reopen foreign travel. But should the EU prohibit UK tourists or enforce their quarantine upon arrival, that could jeopardize summer holidays for many Britons.

COVID-19, post-Brexit relations and trade are other issues on the table.

Merkel has previously shown support for the EU's stance on protecting the Northern Ireland protocol, which has led to tensions between the UK and the bloc. Both sides say they are eager to find a long-term solution to the issue, with an eye on maintaining the delicate political balance in Belfast.

Under the agreement, Northern Ireland follows EU standards on goods, whereas the rest of the UK – England, Scotland and Wales – does not.

Trade and foreign relations

Direct bilateral trade will also be discussed. Downing Street said: "Germany is the UK's second-largest trading partner and every day 730,000 people in the UK go to work for German companies or vice-versa."

On the foreign policy front, China and Russia are likely to feature heavily. Under Merkel's tenure, Germany's economic relationship with China has boomed. But at last month's G7 summit in southwest England, Merkel was among the leaders who signed a communique calling for a tougher stance on Beijing on issues including alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang and unfair trade practices. China has consistently denied those claims.