10 years after Brexit, Starmer’s resignation highlights Britain’s deeper issues

United Kingdom10 years after Brexit, Starmer’s resignation highlights Britain’s deeper issuesOnly a select handful of countries have experienced more recent churn at the top of government than the United Kingdom, which is about to get its seventh prime minister in a decade.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Add NBC News to GoogleAndy Burnham could succeed Keir Starmer as next prime minister05:24Get more newsLiveonShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJune 23, 2026, 7:27 AM EDTBy Alexander SmithLONDON — Another emotional speech delivered. The prime minister’s lectern wheeled out at Downing St. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Now, 10 years to the day after the Brexit vote, and with six prime ministers felled by economic and political turbulence, the country once again looks toward to a new leader — and back to the crucible that helped set it on this torrid journey.Britain has become a member of an unenviable club. Only a select handful of countries, including Peru, Romania and Bulgaria, have experienced more recent churn at the top of government than the United Kingdom, which is about to get its seventh prime minister in a decade following Monday’s resignation announcement by Keir Starmer. The rot began long before the 2016 vote to leave the European Union. Britain has been trapped in a cycle of economic and political shocks, starting with the 2008 financial crisis and culminating with high inflation fueled by wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.Together, this has strained its finances and politics, with Britain’s historical two-party system fracturing into a patchwork of increasingly tribal alliances and factions. It has also left the country searching for a stable role between Europe, China and an increasingly unpredictable and transactional United States.Andy Burnham, the runaway favorite to replace Starmer, would inherit all of that. His supporters have high hopes for his mix of charisma, ma...