Mark Carney to meet King and Sir Keir Starmer as he looks to strengthen EU alliances amid US rift | UK News

Canada’s new Prime Minister Mark Carney will meet the King and Sir Keir Starmer on Monday as part of his first foreign trip since being sworn in.

The former Bank of England governor will be meeting King Charles, who is Canada’s head of state, at Buckingham Palace after succeeding Justin Trudeau as Canada’s prime minister.

Mr Carney, who was sworn in on Friday, will also be meeting Sir Keir during his trip to London.

Mr Carney will be arriving from Paris, where he met French President Emmanuel Macron as he seeks to shore up European alliances at a critical time for relations between Canada and its bigger neighbour, the US.

During his swearing-in ceremony, Mr Carney noted the country was built on the bedrock of three peoples: French, Britlish 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”.

It comes as American President Donald Trump has been threatening Canada’s sovereignty by repeatedly suggesting he would make it the 51st US state.

Mr Carney will try 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

“I want to ensure that France, and the whole of Europe, works enthusiastically with Canada, the most European of non-European countries, and at the same time resolutely North American, determined, like you, to maintain the most positive relations possible with the United States,” Mr Carney said Monday, standing next to Mr Macron.