The UK has had seven prime ministers in the last ten years.
Posted by Real Time with Bill Maher, Checked
- Sources
- 4 support2 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 90%
Real Time with Bill MaherOct 24, 2026
Reuters and the BBC both report that Andy Burnham, who took office on 20 July 2026, is the UK's seventh prime minister since 2016, which matches the claim's 'seven in the last ten years'. Earlier counts of six (AP, Al Jazeera) predate Burnham's appointment and do not contradict the claim as of the 24 October 2026 posting.
What was said
… Really? Those are real. Oh, and dyslexic, too. They're the ones driving BWUM. England is becoming a nation of moochers. No wonder Harry and Megan moved back. The UK has had seven prime ministers in the last ten years. That's because no politician can be what the people want: a genius who figures out how to give out endlessly more money with ever less working people, and we're headed down the same road, only with bigger cars and fatter people. …
Real Time with Bill Maher · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. Reuters reports that Andy Burnham starts his job as Britain's seventh prime minister in a decade of government chaos, following Cameron, May, Johnson, Truss, Sunak and Starmer.[1]
Supports. The BBC confirms Burnham became Prime Minister on 20 July 2026, succeeding Keir Starmer, and lists the holders since 2010 that make up the seven-leader count.[3]
Supports. NBC News and RNZ both state the UK has had seven prime ministers since July 2016, the same window as the claim.[4][5]
Context. AP and Al Jazeera's 'six prime ministers' figures were published in June 2026, before Burnham took office, so they describe the count at that earlier date rather than contradicting the later total.[2][6]
Sources
6 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 1 tier 1, 1 tier 2, 2 not rated
- 1After decade of chaos, UK's ruling Labour Party gambles on Andy Burnhamreuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 2A look at the 6 UK prime ministers of the past decade - AP Newsapnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: context
- 3Who is the current Prime Minister and who was the first?bbc.co.uk · tier 1 · cited for: supports
- 4Graphic: The U.K. is in a new era of leadership turnovernbcnews.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 5Explainer: Why has Britain gone through seven prime ministers in 10 years?rnz.co.nz · not rated · cited for: supports
- 6Political turmoil: UK will see its seventh prime minister in 10 yearsaljazeera.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post