Carney to meet U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham during three-day European trip

Prime Minister Mark Carney is scheduled to meet U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham in person for the first time during a three-day European trip beginning Tuesday.

The Prime Minister’s Office says Carney will meet Burnham in Liverpool to discuss Canada-U.K. relations, including defence and security, energy, artificial intelligence and critical minerals. Carney congratulated Burnham after he took office on July 20, but this will be their first face-to-face meeting.

Burnham is the United Kingdom’s fourth prime minister in four years. Former Conservative leaders Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, and former Labour leader Keir Starmer, each struggled to retain the country’s top job. Starmer was forced out by his party, and a Labour leadership contest brought Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester, to 10 Downing Street.

Carney is also scheduled to address the European Parliament in Strasbourg and attend the State of the European Union address. The trip follows a two-day investment summit he is hosting in Toronto on Monday and Tuesday.

The European Union’s ambassador to Canada said earlier this week that Carney and EU officials are seeking to work out a new partnership during his visit to the European Parliament. Carney has been pursuing closer ties with European and other countries as Canada’s relationship with the United States has worsened.

Canadian counter-tariffs on billions of dollars of U.S. products took effect Tuesday after Canada-U.S. trade talks broke down in late August, in a tit-for-tat response.