Britain will have to wait weeks, if not months, for confirmation that it¡¯s getting a new prime minister. And the gears of government are starting to slow as the political drama plays out in Westminster.
While the U.K.¡¯s embattled leader, Keir Starmer, has pressed ahead with a new legislative program and a flurry of announcements meant to blunt the impact of inflation, there are doubts in Whitehall about the sustainability of his agenda amid open talk of a leadership challenge. Many are already comparing Starmer¡¯s policy goals against those of leading rivals, such as Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, and weighing up their chances of surviving a change at the top.
¡°Nothing very major is going to happen in government until this leadership crisis is resolved,¡± said Philip Rutnam, a former chief civil servant in the Home Office and current chair of the advisory board at WA Communications, told a panel event in London. ¡°Secretaries of state will be focused on leadership and positioning and their future jobs, rather than the vast volume of papers or stuff the department will give them. That is going to go on for as long as the leadership crisis lasts.¡±
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