Anthony Seldon has written biographies of each of the last eight British prime ministers. When he embarked on the project in the 1990s, the work was mammoth but measured. Then, the occupants of 10 Downing Street would spend several years in office, allowing him to scrutinize his subjects properly as they each stamped themselves on their times.
But Seldon now risks being overtaken by events. After the recent churn of leaders under the previous Conservative government, which saw the party cycle through three leaders in one year, Seldon had hoped that Keir Starmer’s victory in 2024 would herald a return to political normality. Starmer’s Labour Party won a thumping majority in parliament and promised a “decade” of national renewal.
But less than two years into Starmer’s premiership, he may already be on the way out. After voters decisively rejected Labour Party candidates in local elections across England, Scotland and Wales, Starmer’s colleagues seem primed to oust him. Seldon’s biography of Starmer’s predecessor, Rishi Sunak, is due to be published in August. By then, Britain may have a new prime minister – its sixth in seven years. Seldon, 72, fears he may perpetually be playing catch up.
“I’ll be on to ‘Angela Rayner at Number 10’ before too long,” Seldon sighed in an interview with CNN, referring to the Labour lawmaker seen as one of the potential rivals to Starmer as prime minister.
The revolving door of 10 Downing Street has caused many in the country to wonder: Is Britain becoming ungovernable?
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