Britain Has Had 5 Leaders in a Decade. Is It About to Get Another?

When Prime Minister Keir Starmer led the Labour Party to victory in Britain’s last general election, in 2024, he campaigned on a platform of stability, selling his party as the antidote to years of chaos under a succession of Conservative prime ministers. Now, Labour’s promise of steady governance seems under threat, as Mr. Starmer battles calls for his resignation from his own party after it suffered heavy losses in local elections last week. Critics of Mr. Starmer argue that his deep unpopularity makes a new leader necessary if Labour is to stand a chance in the next general election, which must be held by 2029. But some of his allies have pointed to the cumulative damage done to the country by the cycling through of prime ministers under the Conservatives, and warned Labour to be cautious about following suit. “Britain appears to have become addicted to political drama in relation to its prime ministers,” said Tony Travers, a professor of politics at the London School of Economics. He argued that the fall in Britain’s economic growth rate after the 2008 financial crisis, compounded by the impacts of Brexit, had “made government difficult to the point of impossibility.” Parliamentary systems, compared to presidential ones, make changing leaders easy, said Mr. Travers, but changing leadership doesn’t change the fundamental challenges facing Britain. They include fragile public services that are still struggling after years of underinvestment and the inflationary impact of the Iran war. Many lawmakers in the Labour Party are wary of potentially starting their own era of rapid-fire leadership changes. Five Conservative Party leaders led Britain from 2016 to 2024. Here’s how they came to 10 Downing Street — and left it. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.