Watch: Is Canada about to join the EU?
Watch: Is Canada about to join the EU?. There was an errorWatch the best of Harry Brook's sensational century against Sri Lanka from just 42 balls, the joint-second fastest hundred by an Englishman in a T20I.
What happened
Ties between Canada and the European Union have been getting closer as trade dispute with the US continue. CloseCanadian Prime Minister Mark Carney addressed European Parliament on Thursday as discussions continue to swirl about Canada's relationship with the European Union. Both sides seem to be seeking closer ties, and in his speech today, Carney said he welcomed the EU's "ambition" for Canada to become an "associate member". The president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament on Wednesday she wanted to work on "opening the door" for Canada, which would involve closer ties on various key sectors.
US President Donald Trump has threatened to take action against the EU if it makes Canada its first "associate member". The BBC's Europe editor Katya Alder looks at the EU's future relationship with Canada and what it really means. SubsectionWorldPublished17 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated topicsCanadaFollow Canadaclose panelYou are now following CanadaUpdates from your News topics will appear in My News and in a collection on the News homepage.
The wider picture
Image source, EPAImage caption, A British soldier during a training exercise in Germany last yearByHarry Farley, Political correspondent and Kate Whannel, Political reporterPublished16 September 2026The UK government is in discussions about joining a global investment bank aimed at raising more money for defence spending. Chancellor John Healey is considering a bid to join the Defence, Security and Resilience Bank (DSRB), not long after his predecessor Rachel Reeves rejected the idea. Canada has been leading efforts to establish the bank, which supporters say would enable governments to borrow at lower costs to increase military spending.
"Before he cancelled commitments due to the death of his father, Prime Minister Andy Burnham had been due to meet Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney in the UK on Wednesday. As defence secretary, Healey privately pushed for the UK to join the DSRB as a means of raising money. European UnionFollow European Unionclose panelYou are now following European UnionUpdates from your News topics will appear in My News and in a collection on the News homepage.
Treasury officials stressed that no decision has been made. A government spokesperson said it was "fully committed to working alongside our international partners to scale defence industrial capacity.
What has been reported
Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte is also travelling to the UK for his first meeting with the prime minister. He is giving a speech in Oxfordshire, where he is expected to say the UK is "serious about security" and praise the country's efforts supporting Ukraine. He will also say that Nato will "not be intimidated by Russia's campaign of hostile actions. "Russia wants to stop us helping Ukraine – but their actions will only lead us to do more for Ukraine.
"It comes after Nato forces shot down a drone over Lithuania in the latest security scare on the alliance's eastern flank, where tensions remain high amid Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. And on Tuesday Denmark also accused a Russian warship of firing two emergency flares at one of its helicopters while it was tracking the vessel in the Baltic Sea. The DSRB is a multilateral bank aimed at providing cheaper loans to fund defence projects and has backing from Albania, Bulgaria, Belgium, Greece, Latvia, Luxembourg, Romania, Turkey and Ukraine.
Membership of the bank for the UK and other G7 countries would come with an upfront investment cost of around £870m spread over three years.
What happens next
Paying for the UK's growing defence commitments is one of Healey's biggest headaches as he prepares for the Budget in October and next year's spending review. The government has so far avoided committing to raising defence spending to 3% of national income by 2030, only repeating the longer term goal of 3. He resigned in June, accusing the Treasury of being unwilling to provide the resources needed to defend the country. In his resignation letter, he said there were "credible ways" to fund extra defence spending, including "working multinationally".
"We are working closely with our Canadian allies on ensuring the Multilateral Defence Mechanism and Defence Security Resilience Bank are complementary. 'What an innings' – Brook hits century against Sri LankaThis content is not available in your location. FOLLOW LIVE: England v Sri Lanka – First T20Available to UK users only.
The report has been compiled by The Daily Waves using information reported across bbc.co.uk. Details are presented according to the information available at the time of publication and may change as authorities, organisers or other relevant parties provide updates.