Carney failed to stop Brexit but hopes to save Canada

Mark Carney may enter the race to succeed Justin Trudeau as leader of Canada's Liberal Party.

- DAVID MADDOX

He came to prominence in Britain as the man hand-picked by George Osborne to be governor of the Bank of England in 2013. His tenure at the Bank became better known for his failed attempts to persuade Britons not to vote to leave the European Union in the 2016 referendum. But while he failed to stop Brexit, he now hopes to be the man who can step in and prevent populists from taking control in Canada.

The economist, 59, who holds British and Irish as well as Canadian citizenship, has said he is “considering this decision closely with my family over the coming days”. It follows Trudeau’s decision to step down, citing turmoil in his party over how to deal with the looming prospect of US trade tariffs under Donald Trump.

Carney was the first governor of the Bank of England chosen from outside Britain when he took up his post in 2013, lasting until 2020. Even though he had a strained relationship with Boris Johnson over Brexit he was still appointed as an adviser by the former prime minister when he finished at the Bank of England. More recently he was unveiled as an adviser to Rachel Reeves a year before Labour won the election.