British Prime Minister Keir Starmer congratulated Mark Carney on Monday on his victory in the leadership election of the ruling Liberal Party in Canada, making him the next Prime Minister of the country, succeeding Justin Trudeau.

Starmer expressed - according to what was reported by the BBC - his eagerness to work closely with Carney on common international priorities and to strengthen bilateral relations between Britain and Canada. He also thanked outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for his efforts in leading the country, wishing him continued success in his future endeavors.

Carney, the former governor of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, won the Liberal Party leadership election with 86% of the votes, significantly outperforming his closest competitor, former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland. The election saw wide participation from party members, with over 150,000 members casting their votes in the leadership race.

Carney's election comes at a sensitive time as Canada faces economic and political challenges, most notably the threats from former U.S. President Donald Trump to impose tariffs on Canadian products, in addition to his controversial statements about the possibility of Canada becoming the 51st U.S. state.

It is worth noting that Carney (59 years old) became the Governor of the Bank of England in 2013, thus becoming the first non-British person to hold this position in over 300 years, which earned him extensive experience in economic and political affairs at both the national and international levels.