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. This instability raises the question: is Britain becoming ungovernable?
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer rejects that notion, stating this week that Britain is not ungovernable. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch agreed in the House of Commons. Yet both lead parties whose MPs have a recent history of ousting their own leaders, and they govern through a complex web of administrative, regulatory, and judicial hurdles that make policy implementation difficult. Voters, meanwhile, appear increasingly impatient for results and less willing to accept political trade-offs.
Are we witnessing a particularly turbulent historical moment, or does the turmoil at Westminster reflect deep-seated systemic problems?