{"id":61489,"date":"2026-05-26T13:19:19","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T13:19:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/61489\/"},"modified":"2026-05-26T13:19:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T13:19:19","slug":"brexit-vote-was-dangerous-bluff-says-mark-carney","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/61489\/","title":{"rendered":"Brexit vote was \u2018dangerous bluff\u2019, says Mark Carney"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Mark Carney called the UK\u2019s Brexit referendum \u201ca dangerous bluff\u201d as he warned against holding a vote on Alberta\u2019s independence from Canada.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The Canadian prime minister was the governor of the Bank of England when Britain <a data-ylk=\"slk:voted to leave the European Union;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/business\/2016\/04\/19\/brexit-risks-already-beginning-to-manifest-warns-mark-carney\/\" class=\"ck-custom-link\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">voted to leave the European Union<\/a> in 2016.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He warned that, a decade on, the UK was still \u201ctrying to undo what people didn\u2019t think they were voting for, but what they ended up having\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Sir Keir Starmer has <a data-ylk=\"slk:moved to reset relations with Brussels;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/politics\/2026\/05\/07\/starmer-to-seek-even-closer-ties-to-european-union\/\" class=\"ck-custom-link\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">moved to reset relations with Brussels<\/a>, while potential leadership challengers Wes Streeting, the former health secretary, and Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, <a data-ylk=\"slk:have spoken;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/politics\/2026\/05\/16\/burnham-and-streeting-want-to-rejoin-eu\/\" class=\"ck-custom-link\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">have spoken<\/a> of wanting to rejoin the bloc.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Danielle Smith, the leader of Canada\u2019s oil-rich western province of Alberta, announced last week that a vote would be held on Oct 19 on whether it should stay part of the country or move towards holding a binding referendum on breaking away.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Mr Carney said: \u201cIn these separation issues, it is often advanced that, \u2018vote for this and it is a free option\u2019, \u2018vote for this, and we will strengthen our hand in a future negotiation\u2019. That is a very dangerous bluff.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cI saw first hand what happened in the United Kingdom when the view was, \u2018Vote for this, it\u2019ll be soft and then we\u2019ll negotiate, etc\u2019. They\u2019re still, 10 years later, trying to undo what people didn\u2019t think they were voting for, but what they ended up having.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Ms Smith has said she supports Alberta remaining in Canada.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Alberta Premier Danielle Smith\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"600\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/the_telegraph_258\/508143e759aeebaa7667a59682cb1eb3.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Danielle Smith, Alberta\u2019s premier, will oversee a vote in which the province\u2019s residents will be able to back plans for a referendum &#8211; Canadian Press\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Some have compared her stance to that of David Cameron, the then British prime minister, who called the Brexit referendum in order to silence internal Tory dissent while wanting to stay part of the EU. He <a data-ylk=\"slk:resigned following the vote to leave;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/2016\/06\/24\/david-cameron-resigns-his-highs-and-lows-in-power\/\" class=\"ck-custom-link\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">resigned following the vote to leave<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Ms Smith\u2019s party did not run on a platform of holding a referendum in the last provincial election campaign.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Mr Carney said: \u201cIs it the democratic will of Albertans? Did they vote for this in the last provincial election? No, they didn\u2019t. It wasn\u2019t on the ballot paper.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He pointed out his administration was working on getting an oil pipeline built from Alberta to Canada\u2019s Pacific coast, aimed at responding to Albertan complaints that not enough had been done to help exports.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Mr Carney said: \u201cWe have to be very careful about this. There\u2019s a very strong positive case for Canada, a strong Alberta in a united Canada. I look forward to making that case with many, many other Albertans and Canadians over the course of the next 150 days.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Ms Smith said people\u2019s frustrations had been fuelled by the \u201cdisastrous policies\u201d of <a data-ylk=\"slk:Justin Trudeau;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/2025\/01\/07\/trudeau-departed-woke-canada-legacy-liberal-defeat\/\" class=\"ck-custom-link\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Justin Trudeau<\/a>, the previous Canadian leader.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">She said: \u201cI would also remind all Canadians that we should not dismiss the legitimate grievances of Albertans. Instead, we should focus on addressing these issues, restoring hope in Canada, and demonstrating that our country can work and is working.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Mr Carney proved a controversial governor of the Bank of England, which he led from 2013, before the Brexit referendum, until the early phase of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He warned in the run-up to the EU referendum that leaving the bloc <a data-ylk=\"slk:could tip Britain into a recession;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/business\/2016\/05\/12\/living-standards-will-fall-and-house-prices-decline-in-event-of\/\" class=\"ck-custom-link\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">could tip Britain into a recession<\/a>. No such recession occurred as a result of the UK\u2019s withdrawal from the union.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Upon criticism from the Vote Leave campaign, Mr Carney defended his intervention, stating that it was the bank\u2019s job to mitigate risks to the British economy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">During his time in office, he oversaw historically low interest rates and quantitative easing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a data-ylk=\"slk:Try full access to The Telegraph free today. Unlock their award-winning website and essential news app, plus useful tools and expert guides for your money, health and holidays.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/customer\/subscription\/store\/us\/?ICID=yahoo_article\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Try full access to The Telegraph free today. Unlock their award-winning website and essential news app, plus useful tools and expert guides for your money, health and holidays.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Mark Carney called the UK\u2019s Brexit referendum \u201ca dangerous bluff\u201d as he warned against holding a vote on&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":61490,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[98],"tags":[26575,2360,3289,26196,17,745,822,13445,3178,111,26574,14059],"class_list":["post-61489","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mark-carney","tag-andy-burnham","tag-bank-of-england","tag-brexit","tag-brexit-referendum","tag-canada","tag-canadian-press","tag-canadian-prime-minister","tag-canadian-province","tag-danielle-smith","tag-mark-carney","tag-ms-smith","tag-sir-keir-starmer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61489"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61489\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61490"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}