Britain’s six prime ministers since 2016 – ranked from worst to best
Journalist John Crace has ranked the six UK prime ministers who have held office over the past decade, assessing the damage they caused and their leadership abilities.
The United Kingdom has had six prime ministers in the last ten years, with a seventh likely to take office by mid-July. John Crace has compiled a list of the Downing Street incumbents between 2016 and 2026, ranking them from worst to best.
At the bottom is David Cameron, seen as the architect of much of the political chaos. His austerity programme fuelled resentment among left-behind communities, and the EU referendum he promised to solve internal Conservative Party divisions led to national division. After unexpectedly winning the 2015 election, he called the referendum early and resigned immediately after the Remain side lost.
Fifth place goes to Liz Truss, who served only 49 days. Her mini-budget caused significant economic damage. Fourth is Boris Johnson, who, though charismatic, proved unable to handle the Covid-19 pandemic and was embroiled in scandals like Partygate. He repeatedly lied and lacked personal responsibility.
Third is Theresa May, who became prime minister almost by accident and struggled to make decisions on Brexit. She called a snap election that left the Tories in a minority government. Second is Rishi Sunak, who acted as a caretaker PM but failed to implement meaningful change. His Rwanda plan was a costly failure.
First is Keir Starmer, who won a landslide in 2024 but faced difficulties delivering change. He achieved some positives, such as workers’ rights and a social media ban for under-16s, but his communication was poor and there were several missteps.
