The United Kingdom is on course to appoint its sixth prime minister in just 10 years following the resignation of Sir Keir Starmer, marking an unprecedented period of political turnover in modern British history.
Since 2016, the country has seen a rapid succession of leaders, beginning with Theresa May, followed by Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak and most recently Keir Starmer. A new leader is expected to take office by September.
The turnover represents a dramatic contrast with the previous four decades, when only six individuals served as prime minister between 1976 and 2016. During that period, the role was held by James Callaghan, Margaret Thatcher, John Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron.
Political historians note that Britain has never previously seen six different prime ministers within a single decade in the modern democratic era.
The last comparable periods of leadership change occurred during the mid-20th century. Between 1954 and 1964, five prime ministers held office, including Winston Churchill, Anthony Eden, Harold Macmillan, Alec Douglas-Home and Harold Wilson.
A similar pattern emerged between 1914 and 1924, when leadership passed through the hands of H. H. Asquith, David Lloyd George, Bonar Law, Stanley Baldwin and Ramsay MacDonald.
However, analysts point out that to find a turnover matching today’s pace, it is necessary to look back to the 19th century, before the UK had evolved into a fully modern parliamentary democracy.
The appointment of Starmer’s successor will also create another record. Britain will have nine living former prime ministers at the same time, the highest number in the country’s history.
Those former leaders include Sir John Major, Sir Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Lord Cameron, Baroness May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer.
Many of them are expected to appear together later this year at the annual Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph in central London, alongside the country’s next prime minister.