Carney and Burnham meet in Liverpool, discuss defence ties

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and British Prime Minister Andy Burnham met in Liverpool on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, for their first face-to-face meeting, where they discussed defence cooperation, trade, and artificial intelligence while bonding over personal connections. The meeting took place at Everton Football Club's stadium before a League Cup match against Wolverhampton Wanderers, which both leaders attended. During their bilateral talks, Carney announced that Canada has formally applied to join the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force as a full-time member, a move that London is supporting. The Joint Expeditionary Force is a military coalition of 10 allied countries focused on NATO's northern flank, established in 2014 as a rapid-response force. Canada has previously participated in multinational drills with the force but has not been a permanent member. The leaders also discussed merging their proposed defence financing initiatives to create a joint institution. Canada's Defence, Security and Resilience Bank, championed by Carney, has support from eight countries, while the UK's Multilateral Defence Mechanism aims to finance joint military equipment purchases.