‘Don’t look back in anger’, says German president of UK ties post-Brexit

The German president drew a parallel between his country’s post-Brexit ties with the UK and the recent reunion of the famously feuding Oasis brothers.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier told MPs and colleagues that there was disappointment and uncertainty following Britain’s departure from the EU, but both sides had decided “not to get stuck in those feelings”.

“As one of Oasis’s most famous songs puts it so well, Don’t Look Back in Anger,” he said during a visit to parliament on the second day of his state visit.

He will then meet German football players playing in the Premier League and visit the David Bowie Center at the V&A Museum, a nod to the musician’s strong ties to Berlin.

He began his visit – the first by a German leader in 27 years – on Wednesday with a ceremonial reception by King Charles and Queen Camilla and a holiday feast full of stars At Windsor Castle.

He used his remarks at this event and during his trip to Parliament to highlight the improved relations between his country and the United Kingdom since Brexit in 2020.

“I think this is a typically British way, keep calm and carry on; look forward pragmatically, carry on,” Steinmeier said in a speech in the Royal Gallery of the Houses of Parliament on Thursday afternoon.

He then returned to the Oasis riff at the end of his speech and touched on the sold-out reunion tour following the 16-year feud between the band’s frontman Liam Gallagher and his guitarist brother Noel.

“Cool Britannia lives on! Our relationships may have changed, but dear Britons, our love lives on,” he said. “So let’s look at the future together, not the past.”

Earlier in the day, Steinmeier and his wife, Elke Budenbender, left Windsor Castle for London – but not before being shown off Queen Victoria’s winter sleigh, designed by her German-born husband Prince Albert in 1842, and attending a charity reception.

They then visited Westminster Abbey and laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior, symbolizing all those who died serving in the First World War, especially those who were not buried.

On the last day of his official visit on Friday, Steinmeier will visit the ruins of Coventry Cathedral, which was bombed during the Second World War, in a symbolic gesture of reconciliation.

This echoes a visit to Hamburg during the UK’s state visit to Germany, where King Charles laid a wreath commemorating civilian casualties in wartime Allied bombing raids.

He will also receive an honorary degree from Oxford University during the trip, where he will learn about medical research at the university.