Is Britain's Political Turmoil a Lesson in Democracy for the U.S?

This week, politics in the UK looked a little — crazy.

Outraged members of Parliament yelled their demands for Prime Minister Liz Truss to resign, a head of iceberg lettuce managed to outlast her, and former Prime Minister Boris Johnson -who was just ousted a few months ago over the "partygate" scandal- is back in play as a possible replacement for Truss.

It feels like political theater, but the consequences are very real as people in the U.K. continue to struggle through an economic crisis.

As the very "un-British" chaos continues to unfold, is it proof that the British political system, at its messiest, is still less dysfunctional than U.S. politics?

NPR's Cheryl W. Thompson speaks with Rosa Prince, editor of "The House", a magazine that covers U.K. Parliament. And expat Brian Klaas of The Atlantic, explains why he thinks the latest fallout is proof that British democracy is in better shape than American democracy.


In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

This episode was produced by Tyler Bartlam. It was edited by Jeanette Woods. Our executive producer is Natalie Winston.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy