6 PMs in 10 years: How British politics has seen a decade of chaos

Another Prime Minister of the United Kingdom has stepped out of Downing Street to announce his resignation. He is the sixth PM in 10 years to do so.

Visibly emotional, Keir Starmer announced today (June 22) that he is quitting as UK PM and leader of the Labour Party, paving the way for the country to have its seventh leader. Starmer conceded to pressure from within the Labour Party to hand over the reins of power. He lost the support of over 100 Labour Members of Parliament (MPs).

Outside 10 Downing Street, Starmer said he accepts with "good grace" that his party no longer believes he's the right person "to lead us into the next general election."

"I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question, and I accept that answer with good grace. Every decision I have taken has been about putting the country I love first. That is why I will resign as leader of the Labour Party," he added.

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The 63-year-old will remain in the office until a new leader and PM is elected by the governing party. Andy Burnham stands to become Labour leader and UK prime minister, BBC reported.

The development comes at a time when Britain is already struggling with its low-growth economy, hamstrung by high debts amid rising geopolitical volatility.

But who was before Starmer? And who was before them? This leadership chaos in Britain dates back decades.

From Sunak to Cameron: The UK PMs' queue

The Sunak chapter

In October 2022, the Indian-born Rishi Sunak, who was the finance minister in the Boris Johnson Cabinet, became UK PM at a time when the nation's economy was crashing. He promised to bring it on track like his predecessors.

Sunak came to clean up the fragile economy's mess and made five key pledges focused on the economy, preventing illegal immigration, and improving the health system.

In February 2023, Sunak struck an agreement with the EU on Northern Ireland's trade arrangements, improving relations with the bloc. In July, 2024, he called for an election and lost to Labour's Starmer.

Still, at least Sunak lasted till the 2024 election.

The Truss story

Liz Truss' chaotic premiership started after she beat Sunak in a contest to succeed Johnson.

Her ill-advised budget policy, which included an unfunded tax-cut package, spooked financial markets, sharply increasing borrowing costs.

Truss' idea was called "disastrous" by the Labour opposition party as it came at a time when millions were facing a cost-of-living crisis stemming from the post-Covid British economy.

Truss lasted only 44 days before ⁠announcing her resignation in October 2022.

Johnson's pandemic 'partygate' controversy

Johnson was one of the main faces of the "pro-Brexit campaign"- a term referred to as the "Leave" campaign, which was a political movement advocating for the UK to withdraw from the EU.

He won the internal Conservative Party contest to ‌succeed Theresa May. In December 2019, he called for a snap election. Johnson campaigned under the "Get Brexit Done" slogan, leading the Conservative Party to the biggest poll win since Margaret Thatcher's thumping mandate in 1987.

On January 31, 2020, Brexit was completed under Johnson after he comfortably passed a withdrawal agreement and a trade deal, formally taking the UK out of the EU.

However, during his nearly three years as PM, and especially during the Covid pandemic, he hosted parties that the public disliked, becoming the final straw. And he was ousted from the office in July 2022.

May's Brexit deadlock dilemma

Before Johnson, Theresa May was in power. She was ranking highly in opinion polls, eyeing a larger parliamentary majority to get Brexit legislation through. May called a snap election, and in July 2016, she became UK PM, serving in the position until July 2019.

May was Britain's second female PM, after Margaret Thatcher. May stepped down after failing to break a deadlock in Parliament over how Britain should leave the EU.

The Cameron crisis

Before May was David Cameron. In June 2016, the UK voted for Brexit, sending a global shock by voting 52-48 per cent to leave the EU. The nation chose to end over 40 years of union, pushing the country into its biggest political turmoil since World War II.

It was when Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron declared his resignation and the party chose May to succeed him.

Today after years, Britons beg the same question: Who's next?

With inputs from agencies