UK set for record sixth new prime minister in 10 years
Ian Jones – Press Association
Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation means the UK is set for a record-breaking sixth new prime minister in 10 years – having previously seen six premiers span a period of 40 years.
The past decade has seen a rapid turnover in prime ministers, beginning with Theresa May (2016-19), then Boris Johnson (2019-22), Liz Truss (2022), Rishi Sunak (2022-24) and now Sir Keir Starmer (2024-26), with the next premier due to take office by September.
By contrast, the preceding four decades saw only six people occupy 10 Downing Street: Jim Callaghan (1976-79), Margaret Thatcher (1979-90), John Major (1990-97), Tony Blair (1997-2007), Gordon Brown (2007-10) and David Cameron (2010-16).
The UK has never in modern political history seen six different people fill the role of prime minister within the span of 10 years.
There were five prime ministers between 1954 and 1964: Winston Churchill (to 1955), Anthony Eden (1955-57), Harold Macmillan (1957-63), Alec Douglas-Home (1963-64) and Harold Wilson (1964-70).
A similar number held the office between 1914 and 1924: Herbert Asquith (to 1916), David Lloyd George (2016-22), Andrew Bonar Law (1922-23), Stanley Baldwin (1923-24) and Ramsay MacDonald (1924).
But you would need to go back to the 19th century, to a time when only a minority of the population had the vote, and the UK had yet to become a full parliamentary democracy, to find a turnover of prime ministers equivalent to that of the present day.
When Sir Keir Starmer’s successor takes office – which is due to happen by September – the UK will have nine living former prime ministers: another record.
The nine prime ministers, with their current titles, are: Sir John Major, Sir Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Lord Cameron, Baroness May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer.
They are likely to appear together in public in November, along with the new prime minister, at the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph in central London.
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Westminster isn’t working.
The Senedd is often mocked by people who claim it’s not a proper parliament, yet these very same people make no comment about the shambles that Westminster has been for a generation.
In fairness, we’ve had four FMs in 27 months, putting Westminster to shame
It’ll be one more if Burnham follows the Truss model and installs a new chancellor with a radical mandate that triggers a bond market meltdown.
Andy Burnham – if it is him – will be the 7th UK PM since the (disastrous) vote to leave the EU 10 years years ago. It really would be no exageration to say the british state has become ungovernable since Brexit – and to think unionist dolts have the temerity to challenge the stability and practicality of a independent Wales.
With exception to Sunak, all have made mistakes which had led to their downfall.
And we in wales have now changed FM at a greater rate, depending on from where yo7 measure it from.
Well if you read my post correctly you’ll know im measuring it from the (disastrous) brexit vote 10 years ago. Since then we’ve had 4 new first ministers – only one of whom has been forced out of office early (vaughan gething). Six of the last seven uk pm’s have been forced out of office early since the vote to leave the EU.
Brexit eh. Farage bears huge responsibility for his mess.
Where is that turgid grifter anyway?
Possibly in Thailand hoping for another five million.
So Starmer the P M standing down and Tories DEMANDING A GENERAL ELECTION plus Farage and other Fascist LOOOOOOOONS there was no general Election when 3 Tory P M stood down the Morals of a sewar Rat
What an utter shambles. We should have a referendum to decide if we should abolish Westminster and all the money wasted on it should go to the NHS.