Independent Thinking As the UK lurches from crisis to crisis, is it becoming ungovernable?
Feb 13, 2026
Grégoire Roos, director of Europe and Russia & Eurasia programmes at Chatham House, offers comparative European takes. Olivia O'Sullivan, director of the UK in the World programme at Chatham House, focuses on British politics and foreign policy. They discuss whether Britain’s frequent leadership changes signal deeper governance problems. They compare UK strains with other European democracies and debate political fragmentation, voting reform, and tough fiscal and security choices.
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Loveless Landslide Constraints
- Keir Starmer governs like someone trying to hold an uneasy coalition rather than a united party after the 2024 landslide.
- He lacks solid parliamentary loyalty and faces fiscal constraints that limit bold policy choices.
European Fragmentation Echoes In UK
- Political fragmentation across Europe has made governing and coalition-building more difficult since 2008.
- The UK faces similar fragmentation with multiple parties eroding traditional majorities and voter loyalties.
Fiscal And Demographic Limits
- Starmer cannot easily pivot left because the UK faces genuine fiscal and demographic constraints.
- High public spending on pensions and health limits capacity for new welfare commitments.