A decade of chaos: Britain prepares for seventh prime minister

LONDON – British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on June 22 he would quit, paving the way for the country to have its seventh leader in 10 years. The chaos dates back to the Brexit referendum, 10 years ago to the day on June 23.

In the years since the vote, Britain has tried to forge its own path but struggled to boost its low-growth economy, hamstrung by high debts and a growing welfare bill, at a time of growing geopolitical volatility.

Britons cause a global shock by voting 52 per cent against 48 per cent to leave the European Union, ending a more than 40-year union and plunging the country into its biggest political crisis since World War Two. Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron resigns and the party chooses Theresa May to succeed him.

Riding high in opinion polls and seeking a bigger majority in parliament to push Brexit legislation through, May calls a snap election. The Conservatives lose their majority and form a government by striking a deal with Northern Ireland’s pro-UK Democratic Unionist Party.

May quits after failing to break a parliamentary deadlock over how Britain should leave the EU. Boris Johnson, one of the main faces of the pro-Brexit campaign, wins the internal Conservative Party contest to succeed her.

With Parliament paralysed over Brexit, Johnson calls a snap election. Campaigning under the slogan “Get Brexit Done” he steers the Conservatives to their biggest election win since Margaret Thatcher’s landslide victory in 1987.

Johnson uses his mandate to drive a Brexit deal through Parliament and Brussels, and Britain exits the EU on Jan 31, 2020, becoming the first state to withdraw from the bloc.

Johnson leads Britain during the Covid-19 pandemic - at one point being hospitalised himself with the disease - but a long list of scandals and missteps proves too much and he steps down after a ministerial revolt.

Liz Truss beats Rishi Sunak in a contest to succeed Johnson. Her “mini-budget” containing unfunded tax cuts spooks financial markets, pushing up borrowing costs sharply and further tarnishing Britain’s reputation for political and fiscal stability. She lasts only 44 days before announcing her resignation.

Sunak takes over as Britain’s third prime minister in as many months, pledging to restore stability to government. He makes five key pledges focused on the economy, stopping illegal immigration and improving the health system. In February 2023, Sunak strikes a deal with the EU on trade rules for Northern Ireland, improving ties with the bloc.

Trailing the Labour Party by around 20 points in the polls, Sunak calls an election for July 4.

“We said we would end the chaos and we will,” Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party, told supporters on July 5, 2024, after winning a landslide election but with the smallest share of the electoral vote of any majority government in modern history.

Starmer warns over the state of the public finances, saying the Labour Party has inherited “an economic black hole” and tells voters “things will get worse before they get better”.

Finance minister Rachel Reeves announces tax rises worth £40 billion (S$68.4 billion) a year, primarily by raising employers’ social security contributions, bringing the tax burden to its highest level on record in peacetime and prompting an outcry from businesses.

Right-wing anti-immigration party Reform UK overtakes Labour in a national opinion poll for the first time. Reform UK, led by Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, has topped polls ever since.

Starmer is forced to reverse plans to cut Britain’s welfare Bill after his own lawmakers threatened to defeat the government.

Pressure on Starmer ramps up over his appointment of Peter Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to Washington. Mandelson was later sacked over his ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as questions emerge over Starmer’s judgment and the vetting process involved.

The Labour Party suffers heavy losses in English local elections and votes for the Scottish and Welsh assemblies, deepening questions over Starmer’s ability to govern, with Reform UK the main beneficiary.

Health Minister Wes Streeting quits saying he had lost confidence in Starmer’s leadership and calls for a leadership contest, in which he said he would hope to compete.

British Defence Minister John Healey quits over a months-long dispute over defence spending, accusing Starmer of failing to commit the money needed to keep the country safe from mounting threats.

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham wins an election in the north of England, trouncing Reform UK in the process, and allowing him to return to Westminster, removing a key obstacle to any leadership challenge against Starmer. REUTERS