Beautiful Virgin Islands

Saturday, Jul 05, 2025

From Liz Truss To Gordon Brown: These Are Britain's Shortest-Serving PMs

From Liz Truss To Gordon Brown: These Are Britain's Shortest-Serving PMs

Former foreign minister Truss took office on September 6 in the wake of a party revolt against former Conservative leader Boris Johnson.

British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who announced her resignation on Thursday after just six weeks in power, goes down as the shortest-serving premier in the last 100 years.

AFP looks at the five leaders who have had the shortest stint in 10 Downing Street over the past century:

Liz Truss: 44 days


Former foreign minister Truss took office on September 6 in the wake of a party revolt against former Conservative leader Boris Johnson.

Britain's third female prime minister beat Johnson's former finance chief Rishi Sunak for the top job on a platform of sweeping tax cuts that won over the Tory rank-and-file.

But the mini-budget unveiled by her finance minister Kwasi Kwarteng, which promises tax cuts for all, including top earners, to be funded by massive borrowing, caused market chaos.

With the pound taking a battering, Truss and Kwarteng were forced into a U-turn.

Truss later fired Kwarteng but by then she had been mortally weakened and when her interior minister quit and growing number of Tory MPs revolted she fell on her sword.

Andrew Bonar Law: 209 days


The Canadian-born son of a Scottish clergyman, who ruled for less than a year in 1922-1923, was the shortest-serving British prime minister of the 20th century.

The Conservative Party leader occupied senior positions in David Lloyd George's cabinet during World War I but later withdrew the Tories' support from the charismatic Liberal premier.

Lloyd George was forced to resign and Bonar Law, who lost his two eldest sons in World War I, succeeded him.

After 209 days the man dubbed the "forgotten" British premier himself stepped aside due to ill health and died six months later.

Alec Douglas-Home: 363 days


Alec Douglas-Home became prime minister in October 1963 after being asked by the ailing prime minister Harold MacMillan to replace him.

Douglas-Home, who was from a major Scottish aristocratic family, led the country for a year before the Conservatives were beaten into opposition in October 1964 by Harold Wilson's Labour Party. He later served as an acclaimed foreign secretary under Edward Heath.

Anthony Eden: 1 year 279 days


Anthony Eden was a much-feted foreign minister under wartime leader Winston Churchill but had much less success in the top job.

He served three times as Britain's top diplomat, in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s but by the time he got his chance to lead, after Churchill resigned in 1955, he was suffering from ill health.

His handling of the Suez crisis in 1956 proved his downfall, with the Anglo-French attack on Egypt over its nationalisation of the canal drawing widespread condemnation.

Eden never recovered politically from the fiasco and resigned on January 9, 1957.

Gordon Brown: 2 years 319 days


Brown was a star finance minister under Labour prime minister Tony Blair from 1997 to 2007.

But after spending a decade as leader-in-waiting the dour Scot struggled to connect with the public when he became premier.

While campaigning in the 2010 election he tripped up badly after being caught on a live television microphone as describing a widowed pensioner he had just met as "bigoted".

Labour lost the election and Brown quit.

Others


In the 18th and 19th centuries, British prime ministers often spent less than a year in office.

The Duke of Devonshire lasted only 225 days in 1756-57 while the 2nd Earl of Shelburne managed 265 days in 1782-83.

In the 19th century, the Duke of Wellington served a mere 22 days during his second term as prime minister in 1834.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
×