Seven prime ministers in ten years explained through economics
Larry is a cat that lives at 10 Downing Street, the Prime Minister’s Office in the UK. In the past ten years, Larry has welcomed seven politicians into the position of prime minister only to see six of them leave shortly after. The UK’s newest prime minister, Andy Burnham, was sworn in on July 20, 2026. Everyone is waiting to see how long he lasts.
Contemporary UK politics is in turmoil. The Conservative Party reigned with David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and Rishi Sunak before Sunak lost his election to the Labour Party. More recently, former Prime Minister Keir Starmer resigned to make way for Andy Burnham. Each new face comes with promises of change for a struggling country. Many have not been elected by the general public but by party members.
The vicious political cycle coincides with the nation’s worsening economics. The UK has been experiencing decreasing productivity, high unemployment, the rising cost of living, and rising welfare costs. On top of that, high debt means the government needs to balance the books. The Labour Party pledged to prioritize growth, but in taxing businesses to manage debt they ended up flattening job growth and upsetting their voters. The Winter Fuel Payment—a tax free payment that helps pensioners heat their homes—is an important issue in the UK. The country relies on importing oil, a resource that is facing massive inflation due to the current conflict surrounding the Strait of Hormuz. Controversially, the Labour Party cut these payments. While this affects a specific demographic, the higher cost of living, expensive oil, and flattened wage growth means the average person in the UK faces increased financial pressure.
This year is the ten year anniversary of the Brexit vote. It was a narrow 52/48 vote in favour of leaving, and in a globalized world, it was seen as a bad economic decision. The pound plummeted in value and UK stocks fell into the red following the announcement, signaling investor uncertainty towards investing in an independent Britain. Being cut off from the EU slowed down trade with more red tape. This separation, sometimes called a “Blind Brexit,” unfortunately coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic and the start of the energy crisis with warfare in some oil-rich nations. The alignment with worsening conditions meant that every prime minister who stepped in offering their vision for an independent Britain ended up disappointing the general public and resigning. David Cameron left office as he thought himself unfit to lead the country through Brexit while his replacement, Theresa May, failed to provide a vision liked by the British public.
Scandals add to a chaotic political sphere in the UK. Boris Johnson resigned due to Partygate, when officials partied at 10 Downing Street in violation of lockdown rules. More recently, Keir Starmer resigned because of the Mandelson scandal, in which he appointed a US Ambassador that had ties to Jeffrey Epstein despite failing security vetting. In the eyes of the UK public, there isn’t much stability or seriousness. When a new face doesn’t solve these long-term problems, they quickly move on to seeking another one.
The new prime minister of the UK is Andy Burnham. The “King of the North” was formerly Mayor of Greater Manchester but as prime minister, he was not elected by the public. Burnham was selected by Labour Party members, meaning he did not have to debate policy before taking office. There’s a chance he’ll ‘flip-flop’ on policies since his first speech only promised to reveal a ten-year plan soon. However, with the next UK election as late as 2029, it is likely Burnham won’t stay in office and the odyssey of rotating prime ministers will continue. Reform UK leads in some polls ahead of the Labour and Conservative parties, showing that the public is already looking for a new vision for the United Kingdom.
So why hasn’t Canada shared a similar fate? Both Canada and the UK are constitutional monarchies and parliamentary democracies. However, in the last ten years, Canada has had only two prime ministers: Justin Trudeau and Mark Carney.
The role of minority governments is important to Canada’s political stability. Voters are not looking for drastic change with one party and have instead voted more widely. Stephen Harper held two minority governments in 2006 and 2008. Justin Trudeau won minorities in 2019 and 2021. Current Prime Minister Mark Carney initially won a minority government before MPs crossed the floor.
This trend has helped the Canadian economy during difficult conditions. During the 2008 financial crisis, the Conservative minority led by Stephen Harper felt pressured by a coalition made up of the Liberals, NDP, and Bloc Quebecois. A possible vote of no confidence and thus general election led by the coalition resulted in the Conservatives doing things contrary to how they would have liked to, including uncharacteristically taking a deficit. Taking on national debt for the public helped the economy recover faster and stronger than others in the G7. Currently, G7 countries are facing high inflation from oil shocks, but the UK’s situation is much worse than Canada’s.
Structural problems like oil shocks require long-term solutions, especially in our current time of global instability. Perhaps what the UK government really needs in its odyssey is to alleviate the economic and political instability that worry the general public. Until then, Larry the cat will be the only permanent figure in Britain’s office.