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Decade Of ‘Chaos’: How Britain Cycled Through Seven Prime Ministers In Ten Years
Labour had criticised the rapid turnover in leadership of the Conservative Party when it was in office.
Britain’s new Prime Minister Andy Burnham gives his first speech in front of 10 Downing Street in central London on July 20, 2026, after being asked by the king to form the next government. (Photo by Henry Nicholls / AFP)
Britain on Monday gained its seventh prime minister since the start of 2016 as Andy Burnham takes over following the resignation of Keir Starmer.
Labour had criticised the rapid turnover in leadership of the Conservative Party when it was in office, but then ditched its own unpopular leader within two years of winning the July 2024 elections.
Veteran Labour politician Andy Burnham was to acknowledge this trend in his opening speech, saying he is “acutely conscious” of the need for more stable politics.
Starmer announced his resignation in June following months of nose-diving poll ratings and manoeuvring by his own MPs, who have overwhelmingly backed Burnham to take over.
READ ALSO: Burnham Becomes UK Prime Minister After Meeting King Charles III
Starmer had swept to power in a landslide general election victory in July 2024, ending 14 years of Conservative rule.
He had criticised the “chaos” of chopping and changing leaders under the Conservatives, who went through five prime ministers from 2016 to 2024, only to see his party take the same route.
Here are the seven prime ministers in power since the start of 2016:
David Cameron, May 2010 – July 2016
Britain’s decision to leave the European Union ended Cameron’s second term as prime minister.
After the country voted to leave in a June 2016 referendum, Cameron, who had campaigned to remain in the bloc, resigned.
British ex-Prime Minister, David Cameron
Theresa May, July 2016 – July 2019
May took over amid the fallout from the Brexit referendum after a long tenure in the notoriously difficult post of interior minister.
She called a snap election the following year to strengthen her hand in Brexit negotiations, but the move backfired when her party emerged as the biggest in parliament but without a majority.
Unable to get her Brexit deal through parliament, the Conservatives suffered a drubbing in European Parliament elections in May 2019, leading to her resignation.
Former Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May arrives ahead of a European Council meeting on Brexit at The Europa Building at The European Parliament in Brussels on April 10, 2019.
Aris Oikonomou / AFP
Boris Johnson, July 2019 – September 2022
Johnson, a maverick politician famed for making a career out of breaking the rules, had to navigate the coronavirus pandemic and Britain’s departure from the European Union.
He led the Conservatives to victory in the December 2019 snap general election.
But weakened by scandals, he was eventually forced to step down following a cascade of resignations by ministers and aides.
Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson listens during a tour after a meeting with Gov. Greg Abbott at the Texas State Capitol on May 23, 2023 in Austin, Texas. Gov. Abbott met with Johnson to discuss economic development. (Photo by Brandon Bell / Getty Images via AFP)
Liz Truss, September 2022 – October 2022
Truss was prime minister for just 49 days, the shortest on record, before being ousted over her disastrous tax-cutting mini-budget.
Her economic agenda spooked the markets and took the UK to the brink of financial meltdown, losing her the support of her own party.
File photo of former British Prime Minister Liz Truss.
Rishi Sunak, October 2022 – July 2024
Sunak was at the helm for 20 months before losing the 2024 general election to Starmer, bringing to an end 14 years of Conservative rule.
He brought some stability following the Truss debacle, but failed to stop bitter Tory infighting.
The privately wealthy former financier ultimately failed to connect with regular voters struggling with a cost-of-living crisis.
Former British Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative party, Rishi Sunak, delivers a statement after his general election defeat, outside 10 Downing Street in London on July 5, 2024, a day after Britain held a general election. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)
Keir Starmer, July 2024 – July 2026
The 63-year-old won praise internationally for standing up to US President Donald Trump over the Iran war and maintaining European support for Ukraine.
But at home, he made unpopular moves to cut welfare, which were watered down by left-wing lawmakers, and to increase business costs amid a cost-of-living crisis.
Former Britain prime minister Keir Starmer makes a statement in front of 10 Downing Street in central London on July 20, 2026, before formally tendering his resignation to the king. (Photo by Henry NICHOLLS / AFP)
He struggled against the rise of the hard-right Reform UK party, led by Nigel Farage, and Labour suffered humiliating defeats in local elections in May. And questions were raised over his judgment after he appointed and then sacked Peter Mandelson as US envoy to Washington, over his ties to the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
