Prime Minister to visit Canada for trade and security talks
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will travel to Canada later this week to meet Mark Carney for talks on security and economic partnerships.
The Times reported that the pair will meet on June 14, ahead of the G7 leaders' summit in Alberta, against the backdrop of growing concerns about Donald Trump's trade war against its northern neighbour and repeated threats to annex Canada.
Mr Trump has repeatedly suggested turning Canada into its 51st state and imposed tariffs that led to retaliation from Ottawa.
The Canadian prime minister made the trip to Washington DC last month in a bid to ease tensions, but was dealt a blow last week when the US president doubled tariffs on steel imports.
Only the UK was spared from the White House's tariff hike, thanks to a deal struck between the two countries.
Levies will remain at 25% for imports from the UK, however Britain could still be subject to the higher 50% rate from July.
Sir Keir Starmer's trade pact with the US, struck last month, included relief on the steel and aluminium tariffs, but the implementation is yet to be finalised.
The Prime Minister's trip follows a royal visit by the King, who warned Canada is facing a 'critical moment' in its history, with the world a 'more dangerous and uncertain place' in a speech to open the nation's parliament.
Charles delivered an address written by the Canadian government that said Mr Carney's administration would bond with 'reliable trading partners and allies', a move that follows Mr Trump's economic tactics.
Many Canadians have seen the King's two-day visit to Ottawa as a symbol of support for the nation that has faced the unwanted attention of Mr Trump.
Charles told the parliament 'self-determination' was among a number of values Canada held dear and the government was 'determined to protect'.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
17 minutes ago
- The Independent
Robert De Niro attacks Donald Trump in Tony Awards speech
Robert De Niro used his Tony Awards speech to take aim at US President Donald Trump. The Hollywood star took centre stage at the prestigious ceremony on Sunday (8 June) and it didn't take him long to launch a scathing attack on Trump. 'I am going to say one thing... F*** Trump,' the 81-year-old said. His speech was met by applause from the audience. De Niro added: 'It's no longer down with Trump, it's f*** Trump.' This is not the first time the actor has hit out at the US president. He also used his speech at the Cannes Film Festival to take aim at him, stating the US's re-elected president posed a global threat.
The Guardian
18 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Nato chief warns of Russian threat and calls for ‘quantum leap' in collective defence
Russia will remain an imminent threat to Nato even if there is peace in Ukraine and the western alliance has to dramatically increase its air defences and tank and weapon numbers as a result, the head of the organisation will say on Monday. Mark Rutte, who is visiting the UK and meeting the prime minister, Keir Starmer, is expected to outline why it is necessary for allies to agree a dramatic increase in military spending to 5% of GDP at a summit in The Hague later this month. At a speech at the Chatham House thinktank in London on Monday afternoon, the Nato secretary general will argue the alliance needs 'a quantum leap in our collective defence' and 'more forces and capabilities to implement our defence plans in full'. Critically, Rutte is expected to say 'the fact is, danger will not disappear even when the war in Ukraine ends', reflecting a belief that the Kremlin will not demilitarise even it agrees to a ceasefire and eventually a peace with Kyiv. Military planners believe that Russia will seek to retain an active and experienced army in excess of 600,000-strong and maintain elevated levels of defence spending of about 6.5% of the country's GDP, so threatening Nato's eastern flank. Rutte will first visit Sheffield Forgemasters, a nationalised steelmaker owned by the Ministry of Defence which makes complex components for nuclear submarines, before meeting Starmer and then giving his speech. The secretary general, a former Dutch prime minister, has been pushing a proposal for Nato members to agree to lift core defence spending to 3.5% of GDP by about 2035, with a further 1.5% on cyber and other related military infrastructure. Britain is expected to sign up to the plan, to be formally confirmed at the summit, as part of an effort to maintain the support of the US president, Donald Trump, who pressed for the new 5% target once he was elected president for the second time. Justifying the need for extra spending, Rutte is expected to say that Nato needs 'a 400% increase in air and missile defence' as part of a wider rearmament to maintain credible deterrence and defence. 'We see in Ukraine how Russia delivers terror from above, so we will strengthen the shield that protects our skies,' Rutte is expected to say, according to remarks trailed by Nato ahead of the speech, due to begin at 3.45pm London time (1645 GMT). There will also have to be wider restocking of weapons, run down initially during the long period of post-old ar peace and second, because so much has been donated to Ukraine to help it fend off the full-scale Russian invasion over the past three years. 'Our militaries also need thousands more armoured vehicles and tanks, millions more artillery shells, and we must double our enabling capabilities, such as logistics, supply, transportation, and medical support,' Rutte will add. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Britain has promised to increase defence spending from the current 2.33% of GDP to 2.5% by 2027 and to 3% in the early 2030s. But a week ago, Starmer acknowledged that discussions about Nato's future military needs were also taking place. 'There are discussions about what the contribution should be going into the Nato conference in two or three weeks' time,' the prime minister said as he unveiled the UK's strategic defence review, as part of a wider conversation about 'what sort of Nato will be capable of being as effective in the future'. Rutte is expected to welcome the UK's strategic defence review which he will say will 'enhance Nato's collective defence'. The document said Britain faced 'a new era of threat' and that in order to deter Russia the UK had to become, in the words of Starmer, 'battle-ready'. Last week, one of the three members of the defence review team, the foreign policy expert Fiona Hill, said the UK needed to recognise that Russia considered itself at war with Britain and that the US under Trump was no longer a reliable ally. 'We're in pretty big trouble,' Hill said in an interview with the Guardian.
The Herald Scotland
18 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
ICE is enforcing the law. Trump is right to send National Guard
President Donald Trump ordered 2,000 National Guard troops to restore peace in Los Angeles after protesters set fires, defaced buildings, slashed vehicle tires and hurled pieces of concrete at local police and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. A Department of Homeland Security news release on June 7 noted that ICE agents - and their families - have endured a surge in threats and harassment. I've watched this violence, aimed at law enforcement officers who are attempting to uphold our nation's immigration laws, with growing anger. Read more If California is one version of America and the rest of the country is another version, I know which America I choose. It's the same one a majority of Americans also have chosen. Polls have consistently shown that voters side with Trump and other Republicans on immigration and border security, not the lawlessness and chaos that Democrats and their progressive allies promote. And to answer the question I'll inevitably get: Yes, I voted for this, and I'd vote for this again. California Gov. Gavin Newsom denounced Trump's decision to send in the National Guard as "inflammatory." That's not a good look for a governor with national ambitions. Newsom's staff hasn't helped him either. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth posted on X a photo of demonstrators posing in front of a fire while one person waved a Mexican flag. Hegseth wrote: "Another 'mostly peaceful protest' brought to you by @GavinNewsom. DEPORT." Newsom's press office responded: "Are you going to send in the Marines the next time the Philadelphia Eagles win, too?" Comparing violent protests against federal officers enforcing the law to a Super Bowl celebration that went too far is tone death, even for the governor of California. It's important to note that ICE agents aren't arresting just anyone. The Department of Homeland Security reported that the arrests in Los Angeles included people accused of drug trafficking, assault, cruelty to children, domestic violence, robbery and the smuggling of illegal immigrants. Our nation's immigration laws must be enforced The fact that the protests broke out because the demonstrators didn't want illegal immigrants with criminal records to be arrested or deported is sad and pathetic. America is a melting pot, and our arms should be open to people who want to come to this land to live a better life. But we must follow a legal process for immigrants to enter and stay in the United States. But progressive states like California and Democratic leaders like Newsom and former President Joe Biden have ignored our immigration laws. They sent a clear message to people all over the world that the border was open, and millions took advantage of that fact to enter our country illegally. Now, it is Trump who must enforce the law and restore order, whether Gavin Newsom and the violent protesters in the streets of Los Angeles like it or not. Nicole Russell is an opinion columnist with USA TODAY. She lives in Texas with her four kids. Sign up for her newsletter, The Right Track, and get it delivered to your inbox. You can read diverse opinions from our USA TODAY columnists and other writers on the Opinion front page, on X, formerly Twitter, @usatodayopinion and in our Opinion newsletter
