The UK Will Have Its Seventh Prime Minister in a Decade. What Happened to the Others?

David Cameron 

May 2010–July 2016

Taking office in the wake of the global financial crisis, Cameron formed the first coalition government since World War II, between his Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats. In his second term, he secured the Conservatives’ first parliamentary majority in more than two decades. 

However, Cameron’s premiership was ultimately defined by Brexit—Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union (EU). Cameron campaigned hard against turning away from the bloc after nearly five decades of membership, arguing the move would amount to “economic self-harm.” Instead, he advocated for reforms on immigration, economic governance, competitiveness, and British sovereignty. In February 2016, he set a June referendum on the issue, leaving it up to the public to decide. He resigned a day after 52 percent of voters backed leaving the EU.

Theresa May

July 2016–July 2019

May was the UK’s second-ever female prime minister, and her time at Downing Street was initially marked by economic progress: the national debt fell, employment peaked, and income taxes were slashed for tens of millions of people. 

However, her tenure was plagued by major controversies. In response to evidence that Syria’s Bashar al-Assad regime used chemical weapons on its own people, May ordered British forces to join U.S. and French strikes on Syria in 2018 without seeking parliamentary approval. This was followed by the resignation of May’s home secretary, Amber Rudd, over her department’s handling of a controversial immigration policy that May introduced in 2012 when she was home secretary. 

Yet Johnson became embroiled in multiple high-profile scandals of his own. These included his controversial handling of sexual misconduct allegations against a fellow Conservative Party member, as well as so-called partygate, which involved reports that Johnson and members of his cabinet and staff violated lockdown rules by attending large parties during the COVID-19 pandemic. The incident made Johnson the first incumbent prime minister found to have broken the law. He stepped down after dozens of his own ministers and government officials resigned.

Liz Truss 

September 2022–October 2022

Prior to becoming prime minister, Truss held various cabinet positions under Cameron, May, and Johnson. 

Truss’ tenure in office—just forty-nine days—is the shortest in British history. Her administration was notably forced to pause its economic and policy agenda for ten days following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. She ultimately resigned after her so-called mini-budget, which proposed tens of billions in unfunded tax cuts, triggered a severe economic crisis that saw the British pound plummet and government bond yields soar.

Rishi Sunak 

October 2022–July 2024

Within a week of Truss’ resignation, the ruling Conservative Party elected Sunak to take her place. He was the UK’s first British Asian and first millennial to hold the prime minister position, taking office at only age forty-two. 

Sunak served for less than two years, and his domestic agenda was often overshadowed by the lackluster economy he inherited, the continued war in Ukraine, and conflict in the Middle East. In a surprise move, Sunak called an early general election for July 2024, which some political analysts speculated was because he wanted to capitalize on improving economic conditions. However, the election saw the Labour Party secure a landslide victory. Sunak subsequently resigned, ending fourteen consecutive years of Conservative leadership.

Keir Starmer