How many prime ministers has the UK had?
59. Fifty-nine people have served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since Robert Walpole took the role in 1721 — and Andy Burnham, in office since 20 July 2026, is the 59th.
Correct as of July 2026.
Every PM since 1945
Filter the list, then tap any name for a one-line story.
Showing 20 of 20 premierships since 1945 — Harold Wilson appears twice, for his two separate spells.
59 — and why the number is slippery
The office has no fixed term: a Prime Minister stays as long as they can command the confidence of the House of Commons, so Britain’s 59 PMs are spread very unevenly across three centuries. The count starts with Sir Robert Walpole in 1721, the figure historians generally treat as the first to hold the role in its modern sense.
The reason “how many” gets fuzzy is that several people served more than once. William Gladstone formed four separate governments; Winston Churchill and Harold Wilson each had two non-consecutive spells. The standard count of 59 counts each person once, no matter how many times they returned — which is why the number of premierships is higher than the number of prime ministers.
The recent carousel
If it feels like the names have been changing fast, they have. In the decade to 2026 the UK ran through seven prime ministers — David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak, Keir Starmer and Andy Burnham — a churn driven by Brexit, the pandemic and economic turmoil. The latest handover came without an election: Keir Starmer resigned as Labour leader in June 2026, and Burnham — the former Greater Manchester mayor, back in the Commons as MP for Makerfield — won the leadership and was asked by King Charles III to form a government on 20 July 2026. It’s the most concentrated turnover in modern British history.
The record-holders
The three women
Of all 59, just three have been women — all of them Conservatives. Margaret Thatcher broke the barrier in 1979 and went on to govern for over eleven years. Theresa May followed in 2016, and Liz Truss in 2022, though Truss’s premiership became the shortest on record. No woman has yet led the Labour Party into Downing Street.
Downing Street IQ — 5 questions
How many people have served as UK Prime Minister?
Sources
- Gov.uk “Past Prime Ministers” and news reporting (CBS, NPR, Washington Post, July 2026) — 59 PMs; Andy Burnham the 59th, appointed 20 July 2026 after Keir Starmer’s resignation.
- Historical records — Walpole (first / longest), Truss (shortest), Pitt the Younger (youngest), Perceval (assassinated, 1812).
Related
Fifty-nine names over three centuries — from Walpole’s two decades to Truss’s seven weeks.