Poland and Britain have historic ties running back as far as the 8th century AD with the suggestion that Poland's first king, Mieszko was the grandfather of King Cnut the Great, who ruled over England, Denmark and Norway.
However, the rise of Hitler in the 20th century marked a turning point in relations between London and Warsaw. On March 31, 1939, the UK made a guarantee of independence to Poland, followed by a military alliance. Following the German invasion of Poland, Britain and France declared war on Germany, although Britain did not actually offer Poland direct military aid.
PM Theresa May: I am glad to meet Polish veterans. We fought together on all fronts of #WW2. We owe them an enormous debt. pic.twitter.com/UwvCDnOkbe
— Polish Embassy UK (@PolishEmbassyUK) 28 November 2016
Despite this, 250,000 Polish people served with British forces taking part in many key campaigns of the Second World War, with one out of 12 pilots in the Battle of Britain being Polish. After the war, many Poles remained in the UK and their families joined them. Today, Poles represent a higher proportion of non-UK born citizens in the UK than Indians.
Polish Pilots 'Braved the Skies'
Speaking ahead of the summit, UK Prime Minister Theresa May said: "Our ties with Poland are rooted deeply in our shared history. We will never forget the Polish pilots who braved the skies alongside us during World War 2, standing up for freedom and democracy in Europe, nor the valuable contribution made by so many Poles in our country today.
"I am determined that Brexit will not weaken our relationship with Poland, rather it will serve as a catalyst to strengthen it. That's why I am hosting the first ever summit of this kind between our countries today. It marks the start of a new chapter in our relations and we will work even more closely together to ensure the security and prosperity of our nations in the years ahead," May said.
Poland and Britain share a common animosity towards the EU. Poland is one step closer to becoming the first EU member state to be stripped of its voting rights in EU institutions over a row between Brussels and Warsaw over controversial reforms to Poland's constitutional court. Poland has also hit back at the mandatory quota system — proposed by Brussels — for the relocation of migrants around Europe.
PM @BeataSzydlo: Regardless of #Brexit Poland and Britain are and will remain the closest of friends and allies. pic.twitter.com/6qmpJZWG5D
— Polish Embassy UK (@PolishEmbassyUK) 28 November 2016
Britain has offered to support Poland within NATO on reinforcing military assets in Poland in the face of what Warsaw perceives as the threat from Russia. This common alliance between London and Warsaw could see a bargaining chip being used by Szydlo over May.
Poland wants to ensure that its citizens in Britain will not be discriminated against after a Brexit. The Polish Prime Minister is likely to be able to reach a common agreement that sees the UK back up Poland within NATO and show solidarity over the excesses of Brussels, if London concedes the right of Polish workers — those actually taking up jobs in the UK — are protected.
