Mark Carney completed one of the greatest political comebacks of all time by leading his Liberal Party to victory in the Candian election.
They appeared to be out of the running just a few short months ago, with Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives holding a lead of more than 20 points over his rivals.
But Carney, who only took over as prime minister from his predecessor Justin Trudeau in March, oversaw a remarkable turnaround in his party’s fortunes, thanks in no small part to his strong opposition to Donald Trump.
The US president has made no secret of his desire to make Canada the 51st state of the USA, and even made them one of the first countries he imposed tariffs on as he tried to bring his neighbours to heel.
Carney made defending Canada’s independence the centrepiece of his premiership – and was handsomely rewarded by voters.
In his victory speech, the former governor of the Bank of England said: “President Trump is trying to break us so that America can own us, that will never ever happen.”
Carney’s fierce anti-Trump rhetoric is in stark contrast to his left-of-centre political ally Keir Starmer’s more cautious approach.
The prime minister has tried to walk a fine line between distancing himself from Trump in areas like trade tariffs and his attacks on Volodymyr Zelenskyy, while avoiding any outright criticism of the president.
That is because Starmer is desperate to agree a trade deal with America which he hopes will help to boost economic growth in the UK.
Lib Dem leader Ed Davey believes being anti-Trump can be a vote-winner in Britain too, starting with Thursday’s local elections.
He said: “Voters in Canada have elected a Liberal government on a clear mandate to combat Trump’s dangerous populism. Across the globe, it is liberals who are taking the lead in standing up for prosperity, security and democracy in the face of Trump, Putin and the rest.
“Voters in England have the chance to send a similar message on Thursday, by electing Liberal Democrat local champions to stand up for their communities against the hate-fuelled politics of Donald Trump and his bootlicker Nigel Farage.”
Luke Tryl, UK director of the More in Common think-tank, said there were lessons for Starmer to learn from Canada, but cautioned against the election result being seen as a green light for the PM to be more openly critical of Trump.
He said: “I am always nervous about reading across from elections elsewhere and here. There are various potential lessons – the fact that Carney managed to consolidate the left around him.
“For the moment, people tend to think Starmer is getting the balance right [on Trump].
“When Trump got in I was asked if people might want a ‘Love Actually’ Hugh Grant moment. I said I don’t think so. I think the more Trump is seen to behave recklessly, and that’s certainly the case on tariffs, there may be more demand for that.
“In any event, I think the impact on our politics will be much more marginal than in Canada, because obviously they are right next door and Trump isn’t yet asking us to become the 52nd state.”
Asked if the PM will change his approach towards Trump on the back of Carney’s victory, his spokesman said: “We look forward to working with him and Canada to further the relationship we have with Canada for the British national interest. We have a very good relationship with President Trump as well.”
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