Four Prime Ministers in Four Years: UK Plunges into Elections Amid Political Turmoil

Polling stations across the United Kingdom opened at 7 a.m. local time on Thursday, marking the first time that Britons have gone to vote since the parliamentary elections on December 12, 2019. In these four and a half years, three prime ministers have lived in Downing Street, an example of a turbulent period that, according to all the polls, precedes a change of cycle in which Labour even aspires to achieve its greatest historical victory.

Barring a major surprise, the next prime minister will be Keir Starmer, who has been gaining popularity at the expense of a Conservative Party that has continued to lose popularity since Boris Johnson’s controversial political management during the pandemic and after his resignation due to internal pressure. Rishi Sunak is also running for prime minister but his failure to prevent leaks of flagship measures such as the plan for deportations to Rwanda has ended up calling into question his real management capacity.

Johnson, the symbol of the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union, ended up resigning due to internal pressure and Liz Truss did not even last a month and a half in power during which there was an unprecedented change in the British monarchy with Queen Elizabeth II’s death. Sunak made tightening immigration policies one of his main pillars of government but this did not prevent him from failing at it despite being himself being son of immigrants.

Sunak wants to prevent Britain from “handing over” itself to Labour so he has included warnings about indiscriminate rise in taxes or massive arrival of immigrants including a video where he rolls out red carpet on beach. With cards already on table Sunak called early elections and tried to appeal