Politics over everything else: Will Andy Burnham vs Keir Starmer add to UK's unstable PM trend? The Big Question

Keir Starmer is likely to face further headaches after Andy Burnham won the Makerfield by-election, bolstering the Greater Manchester mayor's chances to challenge the UK prime minister for Labour Party leadership. Two years after bringing Labour back to power in a landslide general election victory, Starmer is struggling on the domestic, defence and foreign policy fronts. Since he took charge in July 2024, six ministers and multiple aides resigned, the highest number for a recent prime minister at this stage of premiership. The resignations were over defence spending, the cost-of-living crisis, high taxation, welfare reforms, the Peter Mandelson-Jeffrey Epstein controversy, the failure to reform the National Health Service (NHS), and illegal immigration. From being Labour's poster boy, Starmer is increasingly being blamed for his party's poor performance in recent local elections that saw the rise of far-right parties like Reform and Restore Britain. But the real question is on how Britain has, since 2016, fallen into one of its most unstable periods of political leadership with PMs coming and going. As one report asked: is Britain ungovernable?

British Prime Ministers' revolving door: The Conservatives saw five PMs in 14 years

David Cameron, who became PM in 2010 went on to win a Conservative majority in the 2015 general election. Confident that Britain would choose to remain in the European Union (EU), he called for a referendum on Brexit. However, 51.9 per cent of voters chose to leave the EU, prompting his resignation in 2016.

That marked the beginning of a revolving door of British prime ministers. Theresa May succeeded Cameron and conducted Brexit negotiations with the EU, securing a withdrawal agreement. However, Parliament rejected the deal three times. Faced with internal divisions and political deadlock, she resigned in 2019.

May was succeeded by the maverick Boris Johnson, who won the Conservative leadership contest on a promise to "Get Brexit Done". Johnson led the Tories to victory in the 2019 general election and oversaw the UK's departure from the EU in 2020.

Then Covid-19 struck. Johnson's government was accused of hypocrisy after officials and advisers attended gatherings inside government buildings while the public was subject to strict lockdown restrictions during the pandemic. Besides this "Partygate" scandal, the infighting among senior Conservatives, misconduct allegations against MP Chris Pincher, and internal government revolts steadily weakened Johnson's authority. In July 2022, after more than 60 ministers and aides resigned, Johnson stepped down, paving the way for one of the shortest premierships in British history.

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Liz Truss famously did not last as long as a lettuce, captured on a viral video. Her "mini-budget", which included large unfunded tax cuts, triggered a severe market reaction. The pound fell sharply, government borrowing costs surged, and the Bank of England was forced to intervene to stabilise financial markets. Truss resigned after just 44 days in office, becoming the shortest-serving prime minister in British history.

She was followed by Rishi Sunak, whose government struggled with inflation, weak economic growth, and a prolonged cost-of-living crisis. In the 2024 general election, the Conservatives suffered a heavy defeat, ending their turbulent 14-year run in power.

Even a landslide victory did not spare Labour from internal squabbles

The rise of Keir Starmer to the premiership after the 2024 election came after years of Labour infighting, including the removal of former leader Jeremy Corbyn amid allegations that he had failed to adequately address antisemitism within the party. The inner-party divisions are once again becoming visible.

Despite Labour securing 63 per cent of seats in the House of Commons, Starmer is facing multiple challenges. His handling of the wars in Ukraine and Iran, disputes over UK's defence spending, and uneasy relations with US President Donald Trump have all drawn criticism. Combined with domestic concerns over public services, welfare policy, taxation, and immigration, these issues have fuelled growing questions about both Starmer's leadership and the stability of British politics. Andy Burnham is not his only challenge. Others who could be eyeing his post include former health secretary Wes Streeting, former Labour leader Ed Miliband, and former depty PM Angela Rayner Starmer. An official leadership challenge could ensue once the rival gets formal backing from at least 20 per cent of Labour MPs, or 81 MPs.

All this is again bringing in the possibility that Britain is in for another period of turbulence, in spite of Starmer insisting that he will be PM till his tenure ends.