Canada’s new prime minister Mark Carney has met Sir Keir Starmer in Downing Street this evening, with the UK leader welcoming the relationship between the “two sovereign allies”.
The former Bank of England governor also met King Charles, who is Canada’s head of state, at Buckingham Palace where Mr Carney told the monarch they had “much to catch up on”.
The visit to the UK comes as US President Donald Trump has been threatening Canada’s sovereignty by repeatedly suggesting he would make it the 51st US state – something Mr Carney called “disrespectful” in a press conference this evening.
Image: Pic: PA 
Image: Sir Keir welcomes Mark Carney to Downing Street. Pic: PA
Mr Carney, who was sworn in on Friday, succeeded Justin Trudeau as Canada’s prime minister and leader of the Liberal Party.
He had arrived in London from Paris, where he met French President Emmanuel Macron. He said it was important to strengthen ties with “reliable allies” in Europe at a critical time for relations between Canada and its bigger neighbour, the US.
In the press conference, Mr Carney dismissed a question about allies not vocally supporting Canada as a sovereign nation, saying: “We don’t need another country to validate our sovereignty, we are sovereign.”
Sir Keir said it was “fantastic” to have Mr Carney in the UK so early in his tenure and that the relationship between the two countries “has always been strong”.
“Two sovereign allies with so much in common, shared history, shared values, shared King.”
Earlier, the King was pictured grinning as he shook Mr Carney’s hand in the 1844 Room of the royal residence.
Image: Pic: AP
Footage from the meeting showed the King telling Mr Carney: “Very good to see you. Congratulations.”
Mr Carney replied as they shook hands: “Your Majesty. Lovely to see you…Thank you very much.”
He told the King pointing to his own lapel: “Bit of a disaster today sir. My Order of Canada pin broke.”
Mr Carney added: “Yes. It fell on the tarmac… which is proof that our founding people is the British,” prompting a chuckle from the King.
The monarch offered his pin before telling his visitor: “It’s a great treat to see you again”, with Mr Carney replying: “Much to catch up on.”
Jovial moment was a preamble to more troubling discussions
“Very good to see you, congratulations” were the King’s opening remarks to Mark Carney in the 18th century-room at Buckingham Palace.
A very jovial start to the 45 seconds that the palace allowed to be filmed.
Short, yes, but it’s actually quite rare that a TV camera is allowed in for the start of an audience – even that says a lot.
A sign that it was important for all sides that this meeting was properly seen between Canada’s monarch, King Charles as their head of state, and his new prime minister in that realm, at what is a difficult time.
The small talk, with Mark Carney explaining how his Order of Canada pin had broken and the King offering to give him his, was a preamble to no doubt more troubling discussions, with Carney saying there was “much to catch up on”.
For 30 minutes the two men were then left alone to talk, as is common practice between the monarch and any of his prime ministers. What they talked about, we don’t know.
Last week, when the King met members of the Canadian Senate, we were told they discussed topics of great concern to all parties, both nationally and internationally.
You would expect that President Trump’s remarks about turning Canada into the 51st state, and the ongoing war of words over trade, inevitably would have been on the list of topics for discussion this time. And just maybe how the King may be helpful.
King Charles is one man who hasn’t been in Donald Trump’s firing line, with the president publicly saying he respects him.
During his swearing-in ceremony on Friday, Mr Carney noted the country was built on the bedrock of three peoples: French, British and Indigenous.
He also said Canada is fundamentally different from America and will “never, ever, in any way shape or form, be part of the United States”.
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1:12 ‘We will never be part of the US’
Mr Carney has said he won’t sit down with Trump until the US is ready to have a more comprehensive discussion on trade. “When the US is ready to have that we’re ready to sit down,” he said.
He added Canada is not trying to organise a coordinated retaliation response among countries and that there is a limit to what Canada is prepared to do in retaliation given that the US economy is 10 times the size of Canada’s.
Mr Carney also noted the United States, France, the UK and Canada are members of NATO and it would be “unthinkable” for the US to annex Canada through military means.
The new prime minister is trying to steer his country through a trade war brought by Mr Trump, who has slapped 25% tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminium and is threatening sweeping tariffs on all Canadian products from 2 April.
Canada, which is the biggest foreign supplier of steel and aluminium to the US, last week announced 25% retaliatory tariffs on those metals along with computers, sports equipment and other products worth $20bn in total.
Meanwhile, Sir Keir and Mr Carney also spoke about the war in Ukraine. Canada has been taking part in discussions around a coalition of countries which could contribute to a peacekeeping force in Ukraine.
Canada took part in a virtual meeting of world leaders hosted by Sir Keir on Saturday, focused on the so-called “coalition of the willing”, alongside Australia and New Zealand as well as European nations.
The Canadian premier told Sir Keir: “We’re at a point in history where the world is being reordered, and your leadership, the leadership of the UK, I’ll use the example… of Ukraine, what you’ve been able to do with President Macron to bring together a coalition of the willing at a crucial time, I think, will be decisive, must be decisive, in coming to a lasting solution there.”
