2025-09-16
8 分钟The Economist Hi there, it's Jason Palmer here,
co-host of The Intelligence, our daily news and current affairs podcast.
This is editor's picks.
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When Sakir's Starmer was elected just over a year ago,
Labour ministers warned that their government was Britain's last chance to see off populism.
The political centre has sprung a leak even sooner than they feared.
Just one in five voters now supports the government.
Sakir's personal ratings as Prime Minister are dire.
On September 5th, Angela Reina, his deputy,
resigned over unpaid taxes, prompting a wide cabinet reshuffle.
The extremes meanwhile are all fired up, whereas the Conservative Party is moribund, Nigel Farage,
the leader of the hard-right Reform UK,
told his party conference that he would be Prime Minister as soon as 2027.
Although reform has just four MPs, he is not delusional.
Were an election held tomorrow, reform would have a coin toss chance of a majority.
Other insurgents sense their moment too.
Zak Polanski, a self-styled eco-populist, is the new leader of the once-fusty Green Party,
with a pitch to be the Farage of the Left.