August 13, 2026, 9:04 am
Andy Burnham will be the United Kingdom’s seventh prime minister since the vote to leave the European Union ten years ago. The consequences of that vote are part of the reason for the volatility of British politics and the difficulty of leading the UK. Deeper forces are at work too. During the twenty-first century, Britain has changed from a two-party system in a unitary state to a seven-party system in an asymmetrically devolved plurinational union. Notionally secessionist parties govern Scotland and Wales; Sinn Féin leads in Belfast whilst a British nativism sets the tone of politics in England.
Is the volatility of British politics a consequence of nationalist mobilisation? How might Burnham’s vision of the devolution of power away from Westminster impact UK governance? To what extent do the politics of nationhood explain a significant part of the difficulties of governing the UK?
Content Creator – Australian Institute of International Affairs
