A diplomatic row has exploded after Sir Keir Starmer declined to back Canada against Donald Trump’s ambitions to turn it into the 51st state of the USA.
A Conservative MP in Canada and a former ambassador are among those to criticise the UK prime minister for failing to stand up for their country.
Mr Trump has made repeatedly made calls for Canada to become America’s 51st state in recent months, including a claim that without a massive subsidy from the US “Canada ceases to exist as a viable country”.
The backlash followed The Independent’s White House correspondent Andrew Feinberg challenging Sir Keir on his position on Canada during a press conference after the meeting between the US president and prime minister.
Reporter's White House question to Starmer "And for the prime minister, did you discuss with President Trump his repeated statements of desire to annex Canada?"
"And has the king expressed any concern over the president's apparent desire to remove one of his realms from his… pic.twitter.com/6BpzQrxd6k
— cbcwatcher (@cbcwatcher) February 27, 2025
