An Irishman is “considering” throwing his hat into the ring to replace Justin Trudeau as leader of the Liberal Party.

Mark Carney, who previously served as Governor of the Bank of England, holds Canadian, Irish and British citizenship. 

Mr Carney’s grandparents were from Mayo and he registered as an Irish citizen in the 1980s. 

Speaking to the Irish Times in 2021, he described his Irish heritage as a “big part of who I am” and had a map of Mayo displayed on the wall of his office during his time at the Bank of England. 

It was wonderful to welcome proud Irish Canadian Mark Carney to the Irish Residence

We discussed the deep links & huge potential of 🇨🇦🇮🇪 relationship

We presented Mark a map of Aghagower, his family homeland, in recognition of his leadership & global contribution @MarkJCarney pic.twitter.com/vmJQKvAGKM

— Ambassador John Concannon (@IrlAmbCanada) December 13, 2024

Yesterday, Justin Trudeau announced his resignation as Canadian Prime Minister following several months of poor polling for the governing Liberal Party. 

Mr Carney is not currently a Member of the Canadian Parliament but, if elected Liberal Party leader, would stand in this year's General Election and become Prime Minister if the party wins re-election. 

Last summer, Mr Trudeau said he had tried to persuade Mr Carney to enter politics. 

Thank you Prime Minister @JustinTrudeau for your leadership, for your many contributions to Canada, and for the sacrifices you and your family have made for public service.

Wishing you the best for your next chapters.

— Mark Carney (@MarkJCarney) January 6, 2025

"He would be an outstanding addition at a time when Canadians need good people to step up in politics," he told journalists at a Nato summit. 

Current polls suggest the opposition Conservative Party will win this year’s General Election.

Main image: Mark Carney. Picture by: Alamy.com