A decade of chaos: Britain prepares for a seventh prime minister

LONDON: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced he would resign on Monday, paving the way for the country’s seventh leader in 10 years.

The chaos dates back to the Brexit referendum, 10 years ago to the day on Tuesday.

Advertisement

In the years since the vote, Britain has tried to chart its own course but has struggled to revive its slow-growing economy, crippled by high debts and a rising welfare bill, at a time of increasing geopolitical volatility.

JUNE 2016: UK VOTES FOR BREXIT, PM CAMERON LEAVES

Britons cause a global shock by voting 52% to 48% to leave the European Union, ending a union of more than 40 years and plunging the country into its greatest political crisis since World War II. Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron resigns and the party chooses Theresa May to succeed him.

JUNE 2017: INSTANT ELECTION BETTING RETURNS

Leading in opinion polls and seeking a bigger majority in Parliament to pass Brexit legislation, May calls a snap election. The Conservatives lose their majority and form a government by striking a deal with the pro-British Democratic Unionist Party of Northern Ireland.

MAY 2019: BREXIT PARALYSIS, MAY REIGNS, JOHNSON TAKES OVER

May resigns after failing to break parliamentary deadlock over how Britain should leave the EU. Boris Johnson, one of the main faces of the pro-Brexit campaign, wins the Conservative Party’s internal competition to succeed him.

DECEMBER 2019: JOHNSON LEADS CONSERVATIVES TO A STUNNING VICTORY

With Parliament paralyzed due to Brexit, Johnson calls early elections. Campaigning under the slogan “Get Brexit Done”, he led the Conservatives to their biggest election victory since Margaret Thatcher’s landslide victory in 1987.

JANUARY 2020: BREXIT IS OVER

Johnson used his mandate to push a Brexit deal through Parliament and Brussels, and Britain left the EU on January 31, 2020, becoming the first state to withdraw from the bloc.

JULY 2022: JOHNSON AVOIDED

Johnson leads Britain during the COVID-19 pandemic – at one point being hospitalized with the illness himself – but a long list of scandals and missteps proves too much and he resigns after a ministerial revolt.

SEPTEMBER 2022: CHAOTIC PREMIERE OF TRUSS

Liz Truss beats Rishi Sunak in contest to succeed Johnson. His “mini-budget” containing unfunded tax cuts is spooking financial markets, dramatically increasing borrowing costs and further tarnishing Britain’s reputation for political and fiscal stability. She only lasted 44 days before announcing her resignation.

OCTOBER 2022: SUNAK BECOMES PRIME MINISTER

Sunak becomes Britain’s third prime minister in as many months, pledging to restore government stability. It makes five key commitments focused on the economy, stopping illegal immigration and improving the health care system. In February 2023, Sunak struck a deal with the EU on trade rules for Northern Ireland, improving ties with the bloc.

MAY 2024: SUNAK CALLS THE ELECTIONS

Behind the Labor Party by around twenty points in the polls, Sunak calls elections for July 4.

JULY 2024: STARMER BECOMES PRIME MINISTER

“We said we would end the chaos and we will do it,” Keir Starmer, leader of the Labor Party, told supporters on July 5, 2024, after winning a landslide election but with the smallest share of the electoral vote of any majority government in modern history.

AUGUST 2024: STARMER WARNS “THINGS WILL GET WORSE”

Starmer warns about the state of public finances, saying Labor has inherited an “economic black hole” and warning voters that “things are going to get worse before they get better”.

OCTOBER 2024: FIRST LABOR BUDGET

Finance Minister Rachel Reeves is announcing tax rises worth £40 billion ($52.76 billion) a year, mainly by increasing employers’ social security contributions, which will take the tax burden to its highest ever peacetime level and spark an outcry from businesses.

FEBRUARY 2025: NIGEL FARAGE’S UK REFORM PARTY INCREASES

The anti-immigration right-wing Reform UK party overtakes the Labor Party in a national opinion poll for the first time. Since then, Reform UK, led by Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, has topped the polls.

JUNE 2025: REBELLION FORCES STARMER TURNOVER IN WELL-BEING

Starmer is forced to cancel plans to cut Britain’s welfare bill after his own lawmakers threaten to defeat the government.

SEPTEMBER-APRIL 2025: MANDELSON SCANDAL

Pressure on Starmer is intensifying following the appointment of Peter Mandelson as British ambassador to Washington. Mandelson was later sacked over his links to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as questions emerged over Starmer’s judgment and the vetting process involved.

MAY 2026: LOCAL ELECTORAL DISASTER

Labor suffers heavy losses in English local elections and votes for the Scottish and Welsh assemblies, deepening questions about Starmer’s ability to govern, of which Reform UK is the main beneficiary.

MAY 2026: WES STREETING Resigns as Minister of Health

Health Minister Wes Streeting said he had lost confidence in Starmer’s leadership and called for a leadership contest, which he said he hoped to take part in.

JUNE 2026: DEFENSE MINISTER JOHN HEALEY Resigns

British Defense Minister John Healey resigns after a months-long dispute over defense spending, accusing Starmer of failing to commit the funds needed to protect the country from growing threats.

JUNE 2026: ANDY BURNHAM SHOWS HE CAN BEAT UK REFORM

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham wins the election in the north of England, defeating Reform UK and allowing him to return to Westminster, removing a major obstacle to any leadership challenge against Starmer.