Britain’s democratic institutions can endure instability, but this does not translate into an ability to deliver sustained national renewal
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenMichael Jinghan ZengMichael (Jinghan) Zeng is head of and a professor in the Department of Public and International Affairs at City University of Hong Kong. Published: 8:30pm, 24 Jun 2026The resignation of Prime Minister Keir Starmer has once again plunged British politics into uncertainty. Britain is now poised to welcome its seventh prime minister in a decade: after David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak and now Starmer, yet another successor is waiting in the wings.For a country that often presents itself as a model of political stability and democratic governance, such an extraordinary turnover of leadership raises questions about the effectiveness of Britain’s political system.
