Starmer must be stronger with Trump at G7 summit

As The Independent’s political editor David Maddox flies to Canada with the PM, he outlines the tricky balancing act

- David Maddox

There may not be enough maple syrup in Canada to sugarcoat any diplomatic misstep by Keir Starmer as he joins arguably the most important international summit of his premiership so far.

The last time the word "Canada" passed the prime minister's lips on a trip to North America, it caused a diplomatic storm with one ally even as he was carefully trying to get another one on side. This weekend, the prime minister joins fellow leaders from the world’s biggest economies, including Donald Trump, for the G7 summit in Alberta.

While the leaders, hosted by recently reelected Canadian PM Mark Carney, will discuss a number of issues, top of the real agenda will be the hot topics of US tariffs, the war in Ukraine and now the combustible situation in the Middle East with Israel’s America-backed attacks on Iran.

Starmer – with his soft approach to dealing with Trump – will be hoping that he can stay on course to get the trade deal the two announced to great fanfare over the line. The UK prime minister will also be trying to edge Trump towards a tougher approach to Russia and avoid him ditching the Aukus submarine agreement with the US, UK and Australia.

All this requires a careful balance of egos, particularly that of the man from the White House. Trump is at his first summit since being ousted from office in 2020. But the added picante to this summit is the overhang of a diplomatic incident Sir Keir inadvertently caused the last time he was asked about the status of Canada in the presence of the president.

Back in March, at the White House press conference, the prime minister was pressed by The Independent’s White House correspondent, Andrew Feinberg, on Trump’s (ongoing) plans to turn Canada into the 51st state.