Political interview: 'London is the best place to be' says Germany's ambassador to UK

 
Joseph Watts29 October 2014
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

You know an ambassador to the UK is on his game when he even finds something good to say about British stag parties.

German ambassador Dr Peter Ammon said the British concept of a last crazy night before tying the knot is now common in his country’s capital. He explained: “When you are out in Berlin you find countless stag parties and the like. [Britain] introduced the concept to Berlin. I think it’s a good thing.”

That’s diplomacy. And Anglo-German relations desperately need a steady hand right now. Britain is eyeing the EU’s exit door, demanding fewer immigrants and now refusing to pay a £1.7 billion bill. Tory backbenchers, Ukip and even a former French trade minister suggest the sum demanded by the EU Commission is punishing the UK for recent economic growth.

Chief Government Whip Michael Gove said it seemed like an attempt to “deliberately sabotage” the UK.

But speaking to the Standard in his first interview since taking up his post in May, Dr Ammon dismissed the claims: “It simply is not the case. This would be just absurd to think that someone wants to punish Britain for its success.

“We are all desperate for economic success. It’s a win-win situation. Economic success of one country is good for the neighbour. It’s quite obvious.”

The Commission claims the budget readjustment should not have been unexpected in London. So Dr Ammon saying the bill’s size was a surprise to Germany, too, will please the Prime Minister. Speaking from his Belgrave Square residence, he said: “I think now with the finance ministers, they will get together to look into this. We see less drama in the whole story.

“We have strong confidence in the way you handle these things.”

This is high praise given the delicate state of UK/EU relations — not to mention David Cameron’s habit of picking fights in Brussels. Dr Ammon was first posted to the UK in 1980 for a two-year stint as a junior official, leading to a 30-year career which has now seen him hold the three biggest jobs in German diplomacy. He was ambassador to France in 2007 and 2008 and to the US from 2011-2014.

He said: “[London] was my first post. When London was offered to me [again] I said this is the best I could have. London is politically interesting but it’s also a culturally wonderful place to be.” He seemed especially pleased that over the past 30 years the English have developed a taste for international food. The capital has “the best restaurants in the world”, he said.

So why does he think there is such negativity in Britain towards immigrants who come to the UK in search of a better life? “You hear supposedly that jobs get lost, that there is cheap labour. These sorts of arguments you can hear everywhere, you can hear it also in America.

“I think if you look at it more profoundly and you study the phenomenon you find that this is just not true. In the end we have taken a huge advantage from globalisation and Europeanisation.” Before the budget row, immigration topped the list of the UK’s EU gripes. Under pressure from Ukip, the Prime Minister, below, wants new limits on freedom of movement. German chancellor Angela Merkel wants the principle left untouched.

Dr Ammon suggested even small changes might not be accepted: “I would really warn against it.” He said there is a “huge influx” of immigrants into Germany, with incoming figures exceeding the UK’s. But with companies crying out for qualified workers, Dr Ammon said complaints about “young Spaniards or Greeks” are rare, and the immigrants are “very welcome”.

He went on: “We have been always with [the UK] on many issues and we share a very fundamental approach, for example we, like you, have always been a supporter of the single market.

“So that makes it more difficult to hear that one element of the single market is put in question, the free movement of people.”

Mr Cameron has put the possibility of an in/out referendum firmly on the election agenda, but Dr Ammon would not be drawn on how the UK should vote. Germany would be happy if the UK stayed, he said. Berlin wants to trade with the UK more and increase existing investment that he said already supports 370,000 jobs.

In the 25 years since the Berlin Wall’s fall, Germany has transformed from divided nation to essential European ally. But its history of being on the front line of a Cold War that pushed the world close to nuclear annihilation has left its mark.

Dr Ammon said: “It’s clear that in this world today there’s hardly any country that can tackle [difficult international] issues alone. The democracies of the world, and Europe in particular, will have to stay together.”

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in