Keir Starmer to visit Canada for security talks after US threats to Canadian independence
Prime Minister Keir Starmer will meet Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to discuss security and economic co-operation amidst growing tensions between US and Canada.
Listen to this article
Sir Keir Starmer will meet Mark Carney on June 14 as tensions heighten between the US and Canada after Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened Canada's sovereignty.
Mark Carney visited the White House last month in an attempt to repair relations between the two North American countries.
His attempts were rebuffed when the US president doubled tariffs on steel imports to 50 per cent, causing Canada to warn of “catastrophic” job losses, factory closures and disruption to supply chains.
The UK is the only country to have avoided the 50 per cent tariff after the US president and Sir Keir Starmer struck a deal.
Mr Trump warned Canada that it would have to pay $61 billion to be covered by his proposed Gold Dome missile defence system, or pay nothing if "they become our cherished 51st State", the president posted on Truth Social.
The post was written just hours was after King Charles delivered a rare royal address to the Canadian parliament where emphasised the Commonwealth country’s sovereignty in “dangerous and uncertain” times.
The US president's attempts to make Canada the '51st state' revived the fortunes of Canada's Liberal Party, contributing to the party's win at Canadian elections in March.
Keir Starmer and Mark Carney are the only centre-left leaders in the G7 and Downing Street sees Mark Carney as a key potential ally, according to The Times.
The two men have not met since the former governor of the Bank of England became Prime Minister of Canada in March.
In an interview last month, Mark Carney criticised Keir Starmer’s decision to invite US President Donald Trump for an unprecedented second state visit to Britain.
The Canadian Prime Minister said it had angered Canadians at a time when the White House was putting them under extreme pressure.
Donald Trump has said he would be willing to wreck Canada’s economy in order to force it to become the '51st state'.
“To be frank, we weren’t impressed by that gesture … given the circumstance,” Carney told Sky News.
“It was at a time when we were being quite clear about the issues around sovereignty.”