Another PM resigns – how did we get here?

Political drama has roared back into Westminster today. Within five hours, Keir Starmer resigned as Prime Minister, and Andy Burnham was sworn in as the new MP for Makerfield. The assumption of course, is that Burnham will take over as Prime Minister in the coming weeks.

There may yet be a leadership contest, but primary challenger Wes Streeting has said that he will support Burnham, so it looks more likely to be a coronation for the former Manchester Mayor and so-called King of the North.

What has led us to this point, where the revolving door of Downing Street has spun yet again? How are we at the stage where, despite Starmer’s massive 174 majority at the 2024 general election, we are about to get our seventh Prime Minister in ten years?

'Discontent'

The catalyst was Labour’s terrible results in the May elections, when Labour MPs had a collective premonition of losing their own seats in the next general election. But over the last two years, the party has offered no real vision or plan for addressing some of the major issues facing the UK, and the discontent started to grow from the new government’s earliest days.

A series of individual decisions – on abolishing the winter fuel allowance, welfare cuts and taxing family farms – led to backbench rebellions. At the same time, concerns around immigration have been aggressively amplified by the populist right, particularly after horrific events such as the murder of Henry Nowak and the grooming gangs scandal, which has contributed to an almost visceral hatred of Keir Starmer in some quarters.

Labour MPs have decided that Starmer is a liability and that Andy Burnham is their bright new hope. I worry about what this means about political stability in the UK, as it is clear that whoever is in charge is in an almost impossible position.

Loss of trust

Some of the issues facing the country are pretty intractable – international crises that are increasing the costs of borrowing and the cost of living; years of underinvestment in public services that are now creaking at the seams; the increasingly visible impacts of climate change. All of these are underpinned by a widespread loss of trust in all forms of authority.

But our instant society has grown accustomed to streaming a film on demand or receiving a shopping delivery within hours. And we seem to have transferred this expectation to our Prime Ministers. If they cannot fix things immediately and at once, we run out of patience and want to see if someone else can do any better.

So on one hand, we don’t trust our leaders to deliver for us. But on the other, we expect the state to provide for us in many areas of our lives. Speaking truth to power is important, but I wonder whether governments also need to speak truth to the people: refusing to make promises they cannot keep, and being realistic about the trade-offs, for example that lower taxes and better public services are not simultaneously possible.

How should we respond?

Today you may be tempted to despair, or to switch off from the latest bout of political chaos. But I want to encourage you to remember the bigger picture. No human leader can carry all the hopes and expectations of the nation. Politics is not ultimate and cannot save us. But our hope is in Jesus, the true Saviour, and the One who promises to restore all things. It’s so important to remember this truth at this time of uncertainty.

At the same time though, I urge you to redouble your prayers for the nation and our leaders. Throughout the Bible, we see that God instituted government to provide order and pursue justice, and that he delegates his authority to human rulers. Romans 13 tells us that "the one in authority is God’s servant for your good" and that leaders are accountable to Him.

Indeed, in the tension between Jesus’ first and second comings, the Church has an overt responsibility to pray for good government. Paul exhorts us to do this very clearly in 1 Timothy 2v1-4, and ties in our desire to "live peaceful and quiet lives" with God’s desire for "all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth".

If we do not pray at such a time as this, who will do so? Let’s pray for Keir Starmer as he steps away from the role of Prime Minister, and for Andy Burnham – for good judgement, integrity and wise advisers to navigate this next season of political challenge.

*Christian MPs and political figures contribute as believers not party politicians. en does not endorse any one particular party.

• Read Comment from Graham Nicholls here.
• Read Comment from Rhys Laverty here.