Datastream
UK Prime Ministers with the Shortest Term Length
The Briefing
- Eight Prime Ministers in UK history have had terms shorter than one year
- In October 2022, Liz Truss became the shortest-serving PM, with just 44 days in the role
UK Prime Ministers with the Shortest Term Length
After six weeks that many have described as “chaotic”, UK Prime Minister Liz Truss has resigned. In stepping out of the PM role, Truss is stepping into the history books as the shortest-serving PM in UK history.
While Truss’s term is noteworthy for its briefness, she is not the only politician to have a whirlwind tour of Number 10 Downing Street. Of the 56 people who have held the PM position, eight have served less than a year:
| Prime Minister | Length of Term | Party | Start of Tenure | Reason for Exit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liz Truss | 44 days | Conservative | 2022 | Resigned |
| George Canning | 119 days | Tory (Canningite) | 1827 | Died |
| F. J. Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich | 144 days | Tory (Canningite) | 1827 | Replaced |
| Andrew Bonar Law | 211 days | Conservative (Scot. Unionist) | 1922 | Illness |
| W. Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire | 225 days | Whig | 1756 | Replaced |
| W. Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne | 266 days | Whig (Chathamite) | 1782 | Replaced |
| J. Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute | 317 days | Tory | 1762 | Resigned |
| Sir Alec Douglas-Home | 363 days | Conservative (Scot. Unionist) | 1963 | Election |
The next shortest term in the post-war period goes to Sir Alec Douglas-Home, who served just a hair under one year.
Why So Short?
There are a variety of reasons why leaders have served such short terms.
Much like Liz Truss’s situation, PMs like John Stuart, third Earl of Bute, and Augustus Henry Fitzroy, 3rd Duke of Grafton, ended up resigning during turbulent political situations.
Others, such as George Canning and Andrew Bonar Law, had their terms cut short after succumbing to illness. (Thankfully, this is less common in the modern era.)
Some leaders were merely keeping the seat warm until a more permanent leader stepped into the role, as was the case with William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire.
A Global Look at Brevity in Office
Of course, short tenures are not unique to the UK. Truss’s departure is drawing comparisons to Kim Campbell and John Turner, who were Canadian PMs for 132 and 72 days, respectively.
In 2007, Kevin Rudd’s second stint as Australia’s PM lasted just 83 days. Australia even has a 7 day term in its history, as Frank Forde served as PM in a caretaker capacity after the death of John Curtin in 1945.
Japan is a country that has notably short tenures in office as well. Over the past three decades, the average length of a Japanese prime minister’s tenure has been under two years.
Where does this data come from?
Source: UK.gov, via Wikipedia
Datastream
Charted: The Ukraine War Civilian Death Toll
Using data from the UN, this chart shows civilian death toll figures resulting from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Briefing
- In total, since the war began in February there have been over 7,031 Ukrainian civilian deaths
- Most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons, such as missiles and heavy artillery
Charted: The Ukraine War Civilian Death Toll
Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine has wrought suffering and death on a mass scale, with many Russian attacks targeted at civilians.
We’ve created this visual using data from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to better understand how many civilians have died in Ukraine as a result of the war, as well as how many were injured and how many were children.
The Numbers
As of early December, it is reported that 7,031 people in Ukraine have died because of the war — 433 of them children. Another 11,327 have been injured, 827 of which are children. In total, this is over 18,000 people killed or injured.
The figures are difficult to verify due to differing reports coming out of both Russia and Ukraine. The UN OHCHR anticipates that the numbers could be even higher.
The State of the Conflict
The war began on February 24th, 2022 and less than a year in, millions of people have been displaced by the conflict, and thousands of civilians have been injured or killed.
According to the UN, most of the civilian deaths have been caused by wide-ranging explosives such as heavy artillery shelling, missiles, and air strikes, and have been concentrated in Donetsk and Luhansk and in other territory still held by Ukraine.
Additionally, new estimates from Kyiv report approximately 13,000 Ukrainian military or soldier deaths, which has yet to be confirmed by the army.
Where does this data come from?
Source: The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights monthly reports on civilian deaths in Ukraine.
Note: Data on deaths and injuries can vary wildly depending on the source.
-
Misc4 days agoVisualizing the Odds of Dying from Various Accidents
-
Energy2 weeks agoThe Periodic Table of Commodity Returns (2013-2022)
-
Technology2 days agoInfographic: 11 Tech Trends to Watch in 2023
-
Misc4 weeks agoInfographic: The Longest Lasting Cars, in Miles
-
Politics2 weeks agoWhich Countries are the Most Polarized?
-
Energy16 hours agoVisualizing the Scale of Global Fossil Fuel Production
-
Markets4 weeks agoThe U.S. Stock Market: Best and Worst Performing Sectors in 2022
-
Energy2 weeks agoVisualizing China’s Dominance in Battery Manufacturing (2022-2027P)