Is it harder than ever to be prime minister?

"The story of British politics today can be told by numbers. Five prime ministers in seven years, none of whom served a full parliament. Over the same period, seven foreign secretaries, six chancellors of the exchequer and four cabinet secretaries. It is a story of instability and inconsistency with potentially a new chapter written by Labour if it removes Sir Keir Starmer, an incumbent premier with a bigger parliamentary majority than his transformative predecessor Clement Attlee won in 1945."

"For Sir Keir, the answer is clear. At a news conference this week, the prime minister said: "No, I don't think Britain is ungovernable." His opposite number, the Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, agreed, telling the House of Commons: "Britain is not ungovernable." But Sir Keir and Badenoch both lead MPs who in recent times have shown a taste for political regicide; they have to govern through a complex administrative, regulatory and judicial framework that can make implementing policy hard."

"They appeal to voters who seem increasingly impatient for results and unwilling to accept that politics involves trade offs. Is this a particularly turbulent moment in British history that has left leaders buffeted by events? Or does the turmoil at Westminster reflect deep and systemic problems in our politics? The first answer may simply be that times are hard for the political classes."

"This period of history might have tested any generation: the financial crash of 2008, the political chaos of Brexit, the economic body blow of Covid-19, the war in Ukraine and resulting energy shock, and of course the systemic disruption of US President Donald Trump. These are challenges that are not specific to the UK, they"

Five prime ministers served in seven years without completing a full parliament, alongside frequent changes in foreign secretaries, chancellors, and cabinet secretaries. The question is whether Britain is becoming ungovernable, but both the prime minister and the Conservative leader reject that idea. Their governments must operate within complex administrative, regulatory, and judicial frameworks that can make policy implementation difficult. Voters and MPs show impatience for outcomes and less willingness to accept political trade-offs, contributing to quick shifts in support. The turbulence coincides with major shocks including the 2008 financial crash, Brexit chaos, Covid-19, the Ukraine war and energy shock, and broader disruption linked to US politics.

Read at www.bbc.com