Canadian PM criticises UK invite to Trump for second state visit

LONDON - Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has criticised

Britain’s invitation to Mr Donald Trump for a second state visit

, saying it undermined his government’s effort to project a united front against the US President’s talk of annexing Canada.

Since taking office in January, Mr Trump has repeatedly said he wants Canada to become the 51st US state, a suggestion that has angered Canadians and left Britain trying to tread a fine line between the two North American countries.

Britain’s King Charles is also the head of state of Canada, a former British colony, and the monarch has made a number of symbolic gestures in recent months, wearing Canadian medals, planting a maple tree and referring to himself as the king of Canada.

King Charles, who is still undergoing cancer treatment, is also due to attend Canada’s state opening of Parliament on May 27, the first time a British monarch has attended the event in Ottawa since 1977.

Mr Carney, in an interview with Sky News, was asked about British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s move in February to use his visit to the Oval Office to hand Mr Trump an invitation from the monarch for an unprecedented second state visit to London.

“I think, to be frank, they (Canadians) weren’t impressed by that gesture... given the circumstance. It was at a time when we were being quite clear about the issues around sovereignty,” he said.

Mr Carney, who

won a party race to become prime minister

in March before he

secured victory in Canada’s election

in April by vowing to stand up to Mr Trump, said King Charles’ presence in Canada later in May was by design.

“All issues around Canada’s sovereignty have been accentuated by the President. So no, it’s not coincidental, but it is also a reaffirming moment for Canadians,” he said.

Mr Starmer, who is trying to improve trading ties with the US after Britain left the European Union, has sought to play to its strengths when dealing with Mr Trump, talking up its security expertise, pledging higher defence spending, and offering the pomp and pageantry that comes with a state visit.

Mr Trump, whose mother was born in Britain and who has repeatedly praised the British royal family, agreed on a limited bilateral trade agreement with London in May.

Asked about Mr Carney’s criticism, senior British minister Pat McFadden told Sky News that every country had to decide how to conduct its relations with other countries. REUTERS