The resignation of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer less than two years after leading Labour to a commanding parliamentary majority is not just a political fall. It is a reminder that electoral mandates in contemporary democracies are proving increasingly fragile, vulnerable not only to policy failures but to a broader erosion of public trust and political patience. For much of the post-war era, winning a general election bought governments time. Leaders could expect a period of political goodwill before voters began passing judgment on their performance.

That assumption no longer holds. In an age of economic uncertainty, stagnant living standards, migration debates, cultural polarisation and relentless social media scrutiny, public patience has become a scarce commodity. Starmer’s resignation illustrates this reality. His government was not brought down by a constitutional crisis, a financial collapse or a foreign policy disaster. Rather, it succumbed to a gradual erosion of confidence among voters and, crucially, among members of his own party. Electoral setbacks, policy reversals and doubts about political direction and messaging combined to create........

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