Since the departure of David Cameron, in mid-2016, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss (whose administration lasted just over a month), Rishi Sunak and Starmer took office. All of them from the Conservative Party, except the last one.
What is happening in the United Kingdom? Why is a prime minister forced to resign with so little time in office?
Burnham himself is aware of the difficult situation. After accepting the commission from King Charles III to form a Government, he went to the official residence. “I am fully aware that I am the sixth person in the last ten years to walk this street. The seventh prime minister since 2016,” he acknowledged in front of the media.
Regarding the origin of this instability, analysts consulted by this newspaper agree that the United Kingdom is still experiencing the effects of ‘Brexit’, that process through which the British left the European Union, and which began with the June 2016 referendum.
Besides…
Larry, the irreplaceable
In the midst of political changes, there is a character who continues in the official residence. This is Larry the cat, who arrived at Downing Street on February 15, 2011, initially as a pet for David Cameron’s family. He was officially appointed Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office and was tasked with controlling the mouse population. He has lived with seven prime ministers. He is estimated to be 19 years old and comes from the Battersea Dog and Cat Shelter. He is considered the most stable inhabitant of the British power, famous for receiving guests and sleeping on antique furniture.
“What has happened is that basically ‘Brexit’ did cause a kind of political crisis”indicates international analyst Francisco Belaunde, to which were added bad political calculations that led to the fall of each government.
The first to fall was David Cameron’s. “He wanted to be re-elected and he saw that his vote was going to an anti-European party. So, he decided to hold the referendum, he thought he was going to win it and in the end he lost it. He had to resign. From then on it was chaos,” explains Beluande. And another consequence was the division of the Conservative Party, one of the most important and traditional.
Britain’s new Prime Minister Andy Burnham (C) greets supporters outside 10 Downing Street. (Photo: EFE)
But it is not only about the instability of Brexit.
For the internationalist Jorge Chávez Mazuelos, we must also address the increase in prices, migratory pressure, the reduced fiscal space, COVID-19, the greater demand for investment in defense that closes the fiscal space for other social sectors and political scandals, among other problems.
“Many things have come together that have made this crisis become stronger,” details the professor at the Diplomatic Academy of Peru.
LOOK HERE: What is behind the protests in Ukraine? How do they affect Zelensky and the war with Russia?
“It is a different logic of power than that which occurs in a [régimen] presidential like ours”he points out. And the United Kingdom is a parliamentary monarchy, “where the government is formed on the basis of the House of Commons.”
Although the United Kingdom is on its seventh prime minister in 10 years, the head of state remains King Charles III.
“The head of state is King Carlos III, but the prime minister is the head of government. And the head of government arises from an election that takes place within Parliament,” explains Chávez Mazuelos, so “the system processes the crisis in a different way.”
On this occasion the crisis manifested itself with the departure of Starmer, after losing the confidence of the Labor Party, something that was noted in the last partial and municipal elections. Then the figure of Burnham appeared, who became a parliamentarian and the new leader of the party, as well as Labor’s only card to be prime minister.
“New political and economic model”
Burnham arrives with promises. In his first message he announced a “ten-year plan” that involves a reform of the educational system, reindustrialization, construction of housing and ending the “homelessness phenomenon.”
“We have not been good enough, and we have to do better (…) We are going to bring the biggest changes of the last 40 years,” announced the new prime minister. He even proposed “a new political model and a new economic model” for the United Kingdom.
The former mayor of Manchester seems to show intentions of change, but it still remains a doubt.
“Burnham has the advantage of being popular, but he faces the same problem that Starmer had. What’s more, the financial markets are worried about Burnham because he is a guy from the left wing of the party,” remarks Belaunde.
Regarding the 10-year plan, for the analyst this may seduce many people but “there is a short-term issue, and the financial margin for maneuver that it has now is very narrow.”
“He is going to have to take unpopular measures because obviously there is a fiscal deficit and a debt that is becoming unmanageable, and that has to be reduced. So, even if he has a 10-year plan, he has to resolve the immediate issue,” says Belaunde.
Along those same lines, Chávez Mazuelos also finds Burnham at a crossroads. In addition, remember the predisposition of the now prime minister to increase defense spending.
“He has a debate now. What comes first: butter or cannons? And he has an orientation to invest more in defense, in a context in which he feels that the country needs it more. So, I believe that one thing is the will and another thing is the capacity,” says the teacher, which is why the debt and taxes would have to be increased.
Forced to talk
The United Kingdom is also a key player on the international stage and, in a first sign that shows its point of interest, Burnham appointed Ed Miliband as Foreign Minister this Monday, the 20th, and announced that Shabana Mahmood will remain at the head of the Home Affairs portfolio.
He also held telephone conversations with the Ukrainian president, Volodimir Zelensky, and the president of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, with whom he agreed that their teams work in “close collaboration” to hold a bilateral summit.
Although they do not have close positions. Burnham and Trump will have to have talks. (Photo: EFE / AFP)
But one of the conversations that caused the most expectation was the one he had with Donald Trump, president of the United States. According to the EFE agency, there was talk of the war in Iran and the security of maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
LOOK HERE: Massive Ukrainian attack on Moscow leaves people injured and sets fire to industrial facilities
Both politicians have distant positions. In fact, the Republican leader at one point described Burnham as “extremely liberal,” so he considered that they would probably have very different ideas.
But Burnham has also not been very close to the Republican president while he was mayor of Manchester. Chávez Mazuelos recalls that “the now prime minister did not have a very positive opinion of President Trump.”
“One thing is with a guitar and another thing with a cajon. Now he is prime minister and has to talk with the United States. So clearly they are obliged to understand each other,” the analyst foresees.
Regarding the relationship with other actors such as Israel, he does not believe that Burnham is “someone as enthusiastic about Benjamin Netanyahu as previous governments were,” and regarding China he would have “a relationship of a pragmatic nature, understanding the density of existing commercial and economic ties.” A challenge in domestic and foreign policy for the new British Prime Minister.
