Ex-England striker Gary Lineker has written an open letter to Germany, appealing for the two countries to remain friends after Brexit.
The Match of the Day presenter has joined a cross-party group of parliamentarians in their bid to stay friends with Germany.
The letter was penned to German newspaper Die Welt, and acknowledged the “genuine sadness” felt by many at the UK’s impending departure from the EU but insisted the two countries remain “very much on the same side”.
It was written in response to an emotional open letter to the Times last month from a string of high-profile Germans - from senior politicians to former footballer Jens Lehmann - appealing to Britain to stay.
In it, they cited their love of the "legendary British black humour", milky tea and going to the pub after work to drink ale, as well as the UK's role in welcoming back Germany as a sovereign nation following the "horrors" of the Second World War.
In their reply, the British group - including Sir Winston Churchill's grandson, Sir Nicholas Soames - responded in similar tone to what they said had been a "touching and funny reminder of all that we share".
"Your words are a reminder that, for many Europeans, the EU is not about quotas, directives, rebates and control, but something more profound," they wrote.
"It is a reminder that, for Germany, Europe was a salvation after the horrors of the 1930s and 1940s, that defeated and replaced nationalism as a defining cause. And a reminder that you feel genuine sadness at our departure from what you hoped was a shared mission.
"But we still want to be friends. We love your beer, your football, some of us even like your cooking. Given the challenges we face we need to stand together to champion the values of tolerance and openness that you say are our hallmark."
The letter went on to state that the Brexit debate in the UK has shown the British as "divided and rancorous".
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"This threatens the British reputation for good sense and pragmatism, especially when the world is watching more closely than usual," it said.
"Your letter has reminded us that, however we voted on Brexit, we must be clearer that we are not about to retreat from our global responsibilities. Brits are outward-looking and engaged with the world."
It ended: "Whatever the mechanics and sub-clauses of our future relationship, the tone of the text is unchanged - we are still friends, and very much on the same side."
The signatories to the letter include former Conservative Party chairwoman Baroness Warsi, Tory MPs Tom Tugendhat and Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Labour MP Emma Reynolds and Labour peer Lord Wood of Anfield.
