Why has the UK had 6 prime ministers in 10 years, and could soon have a 7th

London – Number 10 Downing Street in London, with its famous glossy black door, has had its fair share of occupants in its nearly 300-year history as the official home of Britain’s prime minister.

The building was Winston Churchill’s home for nine years; then the “Iron Lady” Margaret Thatcher for about 12 years, starting in the 1980s. Tony Blair stayed there for ten years, from 1997 to 2007.

But in the last 10 years, British leaders have never had time to empty their coffins before taking over for the next man. Six prime ministers have lived in this official residence since 2016 – including four in just four years.

How British leaders are elected

Voters in the United Kingdom do not directly elect their prime minister in the same way that Americans elect a president.

Instead, voters choose members of the British Parliament’s House of Commons to represent their areas, and the party leader who wins the most seats in the house usually becomes prime minister.

Political parties, through internal elections, can replace their leaders at any time – even if that person is the prime minister – if they lose the trust of enough members. If the party leader remains in that position or is overthrown, they will also leave the position of Prime Minister.

The plan means that Britain’s prime minister can be replaced without a general election, but that the ruling party will remain in power until that general vote. Under UK law, general elections must be held every five years, but can be called sooner by the ruling government. That will happen more often if the government believes it can increase its authority by gaining seats in parliament – or if it feels pressure, because of unpopularity, to give voters a new chance to reshape the composition of the House of Commons.

In the last decade, that has happened a lot, making some level of political unrest the new norm.

So what has changed?

A messy divorce from the European Union

It may all have started with Brexit.

Britain’s controversial 2016 referendum saw voters turn back slightly on withdrawal from the European Union. Deep political changes began, and the results are still visible today.

The Conservative Party, under then Prime Minister David Cameron, has been in power for six years. As part of his 2015 re-election campaign, Cameron promised to hold a referendum on EU membership if he kept his job.

The Conservatives won the election, so Cameron stayed in Downing Street. But the referendum did not go as he expected, and after campaigning for the “Remain” camp, which wants to stay in the EU, Cameron resigned in July 2016.

Brexit changed his party: Many long-time Conservative voters found themselves disaffiliating with the big business, pro-Remain party as they gravitated towards the populist, pro-Brexit party.

At the same time, many long-time supporters of the Conservatives’ main rivals, the centre-left Labor Party – particularly members of its traditional working-class base – have also embraced the Brexit movement.

Years of May, Johnson, Truss, Sunak

The “Vote Leave” campaign also raised high expectations, promising voters that leaving the EU would reduce immigration, boost the economy and give the country’s National Health Service greater powers, and give Britain a renewed sense of national direction.

While the COVID-19 pandemic and the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East undoubtedly made those promises difficult to fulfill, what voters got instead were years of political turmoil and economic stagnation.

That’s what frustrated Theresa May, the prime minister who found herself tasked with making Brexit promises after Cameron withdrew. Tormented by the split in his party over Brexit, however, he broke down in tears farewell as Conservative leader in 2019then he gave another member of the group the opportunity to try his hand.

Boris Johnson made “Get Brexit done” his campaign slogan, and it won him enough Conservative support to take the leadership.

Despite repeated promises to reduce immigration after Brexit, however, the number of people entering the country has actually reached record highs under the policies designed by Johnson, damaging confidence in his party, and the British political class.

In the end, however, Johnson was carried away by his indifference. He has broken many of his own rules of the COVID-19 era, including holding a series of rallies at 10 Downing Street during the lockdown – a scandal that was quickly named “Partygate.” The the last straw it was Johnson encouraging the Conservative politician despite being aware of the allegations of sexual abuse hanging against him. In September 2022, he resigned.

The next leader, Liz Truss, holds the unpopular record for the shortest tenure as British prime minister.

His infamous “small budget,” which included proposals for massive, unfunded tax cuts, collapsing financial markets and soaring British mortgage rates. He he resigned after only 45 days in officein October 2022.

After the truss was Rishi Sunak. He held on for almost two years, but could not contain the cost of living problems pressing home, exacerbated by the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

After 14 years of Conservative governments, Sunak has not been able to convince the British public that they need the same.

The tides are changing, and maybe more to come

The long-time opposition Labor Party won a The July 2024 general election was a disaster. Its leader Keir Starmer he became prime minister, and still is – but less than two years later, his government is already on the brink.

His tenure has been marked by internal strife, policy backsliding and a lack of direction as Britain faces major challenges.

The Starmer government has also been plagued by scandals, including what it did and did not do, and when, about Peter Mandelsona friend of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein whom Starmer contacted to become Britain’s ambassador to the US.

But it could be the local election results that end Starmer’s leadership.

Work did poorly in the latest round of voting of local council and state parliament seats which are often seen as a measure of public opinion, similar to the US average.

Many senior Labor politicians have resigned and said he should not step down because of the party’s poor performance.

So far, he still has fight the callsbut at least two of Labour’s main rivals have made it clear that they will oppose him for the leadership of the party. Whoever leads the party with the most seats in parliament, which will be Labor at least until the next general election, will become prime minister.

One of the architects of Brexit, President Trump’s partner Nigel Farage, has taken advantage of the chaos.

He presents himself as an option to religious voters both major parties failedFarage’s Reform UK party did very well in the last election, cementing its rise from the fringes of British politics to center stage.

Under UK law, Starmer must call a new general election no later than August 2029, five years after the last one. If he can fend off internal challengers, he may stay in Downing Street until then.

But pressure is mounting on him to at least take on those Labor rivals in the leadership battle. If a different Labor leader takes office, there could be a number of calls for a new general election sooner than 2029.

If Britain’s 10-year carousel of prime ministers shows anything, it’s a definite breakdown of old political loyalties and the de-facto two-party system, and Farage may be able to ride the wave of discontent all the way through the shiny black door to 10 Downing Street.

“Every vote since 2016 and the Brexit referendum has effectively been a vote for change,” said Luke Tryl, director of UK think tank More in Common. “People were saying, ‘We’re not happy. We don’t like the way Britain is built and lived today.’ That change has not been made, and I think that helps explain this kind of instability. “