Mark Carney, who co-signed a letter to the Premier League highlighting concerns over the decision to hit Everton with an unprecedented points deduction, was elected as leader of the ruling Liberal Party. Never elected to public office, he is now expected to call a general election
Alastair Campbell chatting with former Governor of the Bank of England and Everton supporter Mark Carney before the Premier League match between Burnley and Everton at Turf Moor in December 2023. Carney is due to be sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Canada in the coming days. Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Alastair Campbell chatting with former Governor of the Bank of England and Everton supporter Mark Carney before the Premier League match between Burnley and Everton at Turf Moor in December 2023. Carney is due to be sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Canada in the coming days. Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
The next prime minister of Canada is an Everton supporter who campaigned publicly for the club in its points deduction fight against the Premier League.
Mark Carney, a former governor of the Bank of England, won the vote to become the head of the ruling Liberal Party on Sunday. The 59-year-old will replace the outgoing Justin Trudeau and is now due to be sworn in as the country’s new leader in the coming days.
Carney, who has never been elected to public office, is widely expected to call a general election in order to consolidate the position of both him and his party, which does not have a majority in the Canadian parliament.
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His appointment will thrust him into the ongoing battle between the country and the regime of USA president Donald Trump, whose opening months in office have seen a back-and-forth over tariffs between the neighbours as well as remarks from Trump suggesting a belief that Canada could be his country’s 51st state.
It comes just over 12 months after Carney inserted himself into the fight between Everton and the Premier League after the club was deducted an unprecedented 10 points for breaching spending rules. The sanction was later reduced on appeal, though a further deduction for a second breach followed months later.
Political heavyweights including Merseyside and Greater Manchester regional mayors Steve Rotheram and Andy Burnham were central to criticism over the integrity of the sanctions process and calls for the penalty to be reduced, as were several Liverpool MPs.
Carney, meanwhile, co-signed a letter with fellow Everton supporters and high-profile figures Dame Sue Owen, a former permanent secretary of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and Sir Brendan Barber, former general secretary of the Trade Unions Congress.
They raised issues with the handling of the profit and sustainability rules (PSR) the club was found to have breached, the lack of transparency over the process and how the punishment was decided, and how the sanction was one that impacted heavily on fans.
The letter, addressed to the Premier League, added the collective view: “We recognise this is the first case of its kind to have reached this point. As we say above, we think a more measured transition period would have been appropriate and wonder if that might still be possible. We urge the Premier League to reconsider its approach to ensure actions are fully explained, predictable, proportionate, fair and timely for all. Finally, we see the timetable for PSR assessment has been accelerated for this year; and that makes it more urgent to reconsider the approach. We would also urge the Premier League to complete the other processes already underway for earlier periods, to ensure fairness.”
Carney, who has family on Merseyside, has long been known to travel to Everton matches when possible. He was pictured in the directors box at Turf Moor when Everton played Burnley last season. He attended that match with Burnley supporter Alastair Campbell, who on Monday shared an image of the pair with then Everton manager Sean Dyche and assistant manager Ian Woan.
Carney met with interim manager David Unsworth on a visit to Liverpool in 2017, when he spoke of what were then proposals for the club to move to the Liverpool waterfront. He told the ECHO at the time: “It looks a great development, not just for the club but for the broader economy. The clubs – Everton, Liverpool, Tranmere – they’re important contributors to the economy, a huge tourism draw, global brands for Liverpool."
Of his family's support for Everton, he added: “It doesn’t matter where they are in the table, we’re still supporting them.”