Who is the longest and shortest-ruling UK prime minister?

Rishi Sunak has been Prime Minister for a year and a half
Liz Truss Launches 'Popular Conservatives' Movement
Liz Truss was prime minister for just 44 days
Getty Images
Lowenna Waters7 hours ago
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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has called for a general election on July 4, which will see him go up against Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer.

While Mr Sunak has been prime minister for about a year and half, the Conservatives have had several leaders in recent years, such as Liz Truss, Boris Johnson, and Theresa May.

Since 1937, the average length of time a prime minister serves is five years. The last PM to serve more than five years was David Cameron, who held the position from 2010 to 2016.

Below is the full list of post-war prime ministers in order of how long they remained in the top job.

Post-war Prime Ministers from the shortest to longest terms

Current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been the Tory leader since October 25, 2022, meaning he has served for 576 days so far, as of May 23, 2024.

  • Liz Truss: 2022 - 44 days
  • Alec Douglas-Home: 1963-64 – 364 days
  • Anthony Eden: 1955-57 – 1 year and 279 days
  • Gordon Brown: 2007-10 – 2 years and 319 days
  • Boris Johnson: 2019–22 – 2 years and 362 days
  • Theresa May: 2016-19 – 3 years and 12 days
  • James Callaghan: 1976-79 – 3 years and 30 days
  • Winston Churchill: 1951-55 – 3 years and 162 days
  • Edward Heath: 1970-74 – 3 years and 259 days
  • Harold Wilson: 1974-76 – 2 years and 247 days
  • David Cameron: 2010-16 – 6 years and 64 days
  • Clement Attlee: 1945-51 – 6 years and 93 days
  • John Major: 1990-97 – 6 years and 156 days
  • Harold Macmillan: 1957-63 – 6 years and 282 days
  • Tony Blair: 1997-2007 – 10 years and 57 days
  • Margaret Thatcher: 1979-90 – 11 years and 209 days

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