Raising a beer to Anglo-German 'alliance'

It’s better, of course, to take a glug after the event...you wouldn’t want beer goggles on before applying your signature for a new house or car, for example.

It’s safe to assume Rawmarsh and Conisbrough MP and UK Defence Secretary John Healey is sensible enough to have waited for the appropriate moment when he was hosting a visit by his friend and fellow defence minister, Boris Pistorius, of Germany.

But the political press were keen to find out how their best-buddy relationship was blossoming - even to the precise detail of what ale they had supped during their get-together.

Herr Pistorius had been in London to sign his agreement to a new defence pact with the UK.

Among interested parties were Politico, the news platform that regards itself as a global authority on heavyweight topics like politics, policy, and power.

Politico refers to the Healey-Pistorious alliance as “Europe’s latest bromance”.

And in their Power Play podcast, they interviewed the South Yorkshire MP, quizzing him about his professional and personal kinship with the German politician.

Asked about the possible future Chancellor, Mr Healey responded: “Well, I find him deeply impressive, I like him a lot, we get on well.

"He is a defence minister in Germany who is leading not just a big programme of change… he is also leading deep reform in the German system.

"If I have a model defence minister in Europe to follow… Boris Pistorius is my man.”

Asked about a suggestion the 64-year-old pair like to savour beers together, he responded: “Well, we get on well.” That wasn’t enough for Politico who insisted on knowing if they’d enjoyed a mutual pint.

"Of course we have had a beer together!” he said.

Pressed further by podcast interrogator Anne McElvoy as to whether it was German or British ale, he diplomatically said: “It was definitely a Pilsner; I don’t know where it was brewed.”

Mr Healey, who backed a campaign to keep Covid-hit pubs open in Britain in 2021, said it was his colleague’s first visit to Britain as Germany’s defence minister and had been a personal pleasure to welcome him to this country.

“He’s an outstanding politician outstanding defence minister.”

Generally, it sounds like Mr Healey - a fan of Chantry Brewery’s Rotherham wares - has needed a beer ever since taking office after Labour’s election victory.

The UK’s military standing is worse than he’d imagined.

“The UK, in keeping with many other nations, has essentially become very skilled and ready to conduct military operations,” he said. “What we’ve not been ready to do is to fight. And unless we are ready to fight we are not in shape to deter.”

Many observers have interpreted that as a suggestion Britain would struggle to keep invaders out.