Keir Starmer meets new Canadian prime minister Mark Carney at Downing Street

Sir Keir Starmer has welcomed the new prime minister of Canada to Downing Street on his first foreign trip since being sworn in last week.

Mark Carney also met the King at Buckingham Palace after he arrived in the UK from Paris, where he met French President Emmanuel Macron.

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.”

Sir Keir also praised Mr Carney for helping to “protect us against some of the economic chaos of the Conservatives” during his time as governor of the Bank of England.

Canada has been taking part in discussions around a coalition of countries which could contribute to a peacekeeping force in Ukraine, and Mr Carney’s travels come amid tensions between Ottawa and Washington DC.

The country 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.

At No 10, Sir Keir thanked his Canadian counterpart for his “approach to Ukraine”.

“It doesn’t surprise me that our two countries see this through a similar lens, with the same objectives,” Sir Keir said.

The Canadian premier said his country and the UK have a “remarkable” history built on “shared values”.

“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.”

Mr Carney told Sir Keir he was “honoured” to take part in the Saturday call as his first international engagement since taking office, Downing Street said in a readout of the meeting.

Canada is facing a trade war with the US, with Donald Trump imposing tariffs on steel and aluminium since his return to the White House, and repeatedly proposing Canada should become the 51st state.

Mr Carney replaced Justin Trudeau as leader of the Liberal Party and prime minister of Canada last week.

He served as governor of the Bank of England from 2013 to 2020, the first non-Briton to hold the position.

Published: 17/03/2025 by Radio NewsHub