Late in the last century, when Britain changed prime ministers every five years or so, Britons would mock the Italians for having a new one every few weeks. This was not just instability, but the mark of a banana republic.In the 28 years between 1979 and 2007, Britain had just three prime ministers – Margaret Thatcher, John Major and Tony Blair. The long-inevitable resignation of Sir Keir Starmer means his successor will be the country’s seventh prime minister in 10 years. Britain is the new Italy.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Fetching latest articles