Monday briefing: You ask the questions – is Britain ungovernable?

The electorate is increasingly impatient, demanding quick change from politicians. Photograph: imageBROKER/Alamy View image in fullscreen The electorate is increasingly impatient, demanding quick change from politicians. Photograph: imageBROKER/Alamy Monday briefing: You ask the questions – is Britain ungovernable? In today’s newsletter: Andy Beckett takes your questions – and mine – about where UK politics is at and where it’s headed, from leadership churn and policy choices to electoral reform and more Good morning. This week, we anticipate the arrival of Britain’s seventh prime minister in the space of a decade. Barring a sequence of events too freakish to contemplate this early in the day, Andy Burnham will be declared Labour leader on Friday and invited to form a new government thereafter. Sceptical as I am about doomy predictions on Britain’s chronic ungovernability, I wanted to speak to somebody who could offer some deeper context. Step forward Guardian columnist Andy Beckett , who also writes vivid modern histories about the country’s defining political ideas, and step forward you – First Edition readers – who responded when I asked what contemporary liabilities we should be talking about. So for this morning’s newsletter, we asked Andy about leadership churn, public impatience and what we can learn from recent political history. First, here’s a catchup on the weekend’s news. Weekend roundup Middle East | The US military has launched a new wave of attacks against Iran amid the escalating standoff over the strait of Hormuz, with Tehran saying the latest strikes had “rendered futile” all the diplomatic efforts of the past few months. UK news | Senior police figures and politicians have warned against speculation during the murder investigation into Ann Widdecombe’s death, after detectives said there was “nothing to suggest” political motivation. US politics | Senator Lindsey Graham, a key Trump ally in Washington, died this weekend after a short illness, his office announced . Far right | Elon Musk’s family foundation took Tommy Robinson to Russia, according to the billionaire X owner’s father. Lib Dem leader Ed Davey said on Sunday the news was a sign Britain “must do more to defend its democracy”. UK politics | Reform UK would have held just 15% of the donations it received last year if a proposed £100,000 cap on political donations had been in force, according to analysis shared with the Guardian. In depth: ‘Instability has become the new normal’ View image in fullscreen Instability has become the new normal, says Andy Beckett. Photograph: Toby Shepheard/AFP/Getty Images Our rapid leadership turnover, Andy Beckett argues, stems from a quarter-century crisis in the Conservative party, as successive prime ministers struggled to define themselves beyond Thatcher. That instability has now infected Labour . But Paul , a reader from Aberdeen, is interested in how this plays into voter expectations. He sees an electorate that is increasingly im