Britain has become addicted to pressing the 'new PM' button, and Jonathan Liew argues that Andy Burnham is unlikely to escape the fate of his predecessors. The country is on track to have its seventh leader in just over a decade, with the rightwing press and algorithmic hostility arrayed against any new incumbent.
The cycle of regicide
Liew notes that the current state of British democracy is such that the man who sets up the resignation lectern outside No 10 has become a meme known as 'Hot Podium Guy'. William Hague's old quip about the Tory party being 'an autocracy moderated by regicide' now applies to the country as a whole, according to Liew.
Keir Starmer's resignation speech was typical of his oratory: forgettable and barely existent. His most memorable quotes, such as calling the UK an 'island of strangers' or asserting Israel's right to starve Gaza, were poorly judged. Starmer treated the British state like flatpack furniture, inserting legislation into social problems and relying on his advisor Morgan for guidance.
Why Starmer failed
Commentators will cite Starmer's lack of personality, absence of vision, and policy missteps. But Liew argues that even a more skilled politician delivering tangible improvements would have failed. He imagines a counterfactual where Starmer implemented a wealth tax, rejoined the EU, and pursued socialism—yet still faced a hostile press and public skepticism. The screams of the powerful would have drowned him out regardless.
The rationale for replacing Starmer with Andy Burnham is that his popularity will earn Labour a 'rehearing'. But Liew questions whether the public and media were ever willing to give them a hearing. The rightwing press and algorithms are already preparing to attack the new leadership. The Telegraph warns 'they are coming for your home', while the Sun dismisses Burnham as having 'no plan and no proper mandate'.
Hostile environment
Starmer's great delusion was that he could placate the establishment by criminalizing protest and cutting disability benefits. But none of it worked against an establishment that disdains leftwing voters, as evidenced by a Sunday Times columnist describing them as 'blue-haired city-dwelling Green-adjacent trans-lovers'.
Despite the UK having the second fastest economic growth in the G7, falling immigration, and falling NHS waiting lists, voters remain unaware because the media has no interest in reporting these facts. Many still believe immigration is rising and the economy shrinking, and some think Starmer is a 'posh paedophile' who let Jimmy Savile off the hook.
The meat sacrifice
The modern British prime minister exists as a 'meat sacrifice', there to be sacked as a narrative device. The role is less influential than ever, unable to beat bond markets or reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Yet the public keeps pressing the 'new PM' button, hoping it will work this time.
This has resulted in seven prime ministers in just over a decade, from the smooth-talker to the smarmy headteacher, the light entertainment personality, the reanimated ghost of Friedrich Hayek, maths boy, and the toolmaker's son. Liew asks when we will conclude that the problem is not the person but the process—an interminable feedback loop generating diminishing returns.
Polling shows voters want low taxes and Scandinavian public services, a growing economy and lower immigration. They crave stability but opt for chaos. In the absence of real change, they keep mashing the buttons until the system breaks.
