What is happening in Downing Street?

The very recent resignation of Keir Starmer as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK), raises a series of questions both within government and, for obvious reasons, internationally. It should be mentioned that Star he is the sixth Prime Minister in a decade; The widely held impression is that this political instability is closely linked to the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union (EU), commonly referred to as Brexitterm derived from the contraction of Great Britain (Great Britain) and Exit (exit). It was precisely this decision, taken on June 23, 2016, during a referendum in the United Kingdom, in which 51.9% of voters voted in favor of leaving the EU, which led to the resignation of the Prime Minister. David Cameron. Defender of permanence in the European bloc, he submitted his resignation the next day. For various British media, this political “defeat” takes away the legitimacy necessary to remain in power.

For his successor, Therese Maythings haven’t been easy either. He was criticized for not having succeeded in the unification of the country and for the difficulty of finalizing the agreement of Brexitdespite the efforts made under his administration. Finally, he recognized that another leader needed to lead the next step in the process. She led the destiny of the United Kingdom from July 2016 to July 2019, while David Cameron He held this position from May 2010 to July 2016.

After the departure of Can of the most important post in the British government, arrived Boris Johnsonwhose administration, from July 2019 to September 2022, was marked by the resignation of more than 50 members of his government in a short time, a circumstance which weakened his leadership and cast doubt on his permanence in power. Added to this are the severe criticisms made by the holidays celebrated while the country remained under the restrictions imposed by the covid-19 pandemic. In short, for many analysts Johnson He lost the credibility of the government, a situation which led to his resignation. In September 2022, she was appointed Liz Trusswho only remained as Prime Minister for 45 days. He was harshly criticized for the economic measures contained in the so-called “mini-budget”. Despite warnings about the risk of causing a sharp depreciation of the pound sterling and forcing the Bank of England to intervene, he decided to maintain his project. The result was a series of political and financial pressures that led to his resignation.

Rishi Sunak He was appointed Prime Minister on October 25, 2022, replacing Farm. Like his predecessors, he occupied the office and official residence of the head of the British government, located at number 10 Downing Street, in central London. He was the first head of the British government of Indian origin. Contrary to Boris Johnson Yes Liz Truss, Altar He did not leave office because of a political scandal, but because the Conservative Party lost the parliamentary elections in July 2024, for which he officially submitted his resignation. It is worth remembering that in the United Kingdom, citizens do not directly elect who will be Prime Minister; What it does is elect the 650 members of the House of Commons (MPs) by simple majority vote. Those who are elected occupy the famous “green seats” or green benches. When a party obtains an absolute majority of seats – 326 out of 650 – it is able to form a government and its leader becomes Prime Minister..

The prime ministers mentioned above were from the Conservative Party. However, in 2024, victory belonged to Labor. Keir Starmer assumed leadership of the government. As we have already noted, he submitted his resignation on June 22. Various specialists believe that his departure is due to the electoral deterioration experienced by his party. According to these analyses, his administration “had lost its political momentum”, a situation reflected by the sustained decline in its popularity in the polls. Various Labor leaders have argued that a change of direction is needed to reverse this trend.

In summary, for many specialists, the succession of the last six prime ministers, as well as the political instability observed in the United Kingdom over the last decade, are closely linked to the political consequences derived from the Brexit. Decisions democratically adopted by citizens, however legitimate, carry responsibilities that transcend the present and also reach future generations.