John Crace Ranks 6 UK Prime Ministers Since 2016, Puts Keir Starmer at No. 1

1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jun 25

Six prime ministers have cycled through Downing Street in 10 years, and John Crace says Keir Starmer tops the list largely because the other five were worse.
Starmer, elected in Labour’s 2024 landslide, is portrayed as flawed rather than disastrous—credited with workers’ rights moves, a higher national living wage and resisting US pressure over Iran, but hurt by poor communication and repeated U-turns.
Rishi Sunak ranks second despite a failed £600 million Rwanda plan that deported just four voluntary migrants, while Theresa May is third after Brexit paralysis and a lost majority.
Boris Johnson is fourth, Liz Truss fifth and David Cameron last, with Crace tying the decade’s turmoil to Brexit, austerity, Partygate, the mini-budget and what he calls a largely ungovernable country.
A seventh prime minister could arrive by mid-July, underscoring the instability that has defined British politics since the 2016 Brexit referendum.