George Barnes — 357 days (7.3 Liz Farms)
Labor is not known for dismissing its leaders in haste. Barnes resigned as leader of the Left Party in 1911, two months after the December 1910 election. But he was later appointed Minister of Pensions under David Lloyd George, demonstrating the importance of quitting while one Being early can sometimes help.
Jim Murphy — 182 days (3.7 Liz farms)
Murphy was handed something of a poisoned chalice as Scottish Labor leader in December 2014 – just three months after the Scottish independence referendum, when the SNP was in full swing. He led the party to the 2015 general election where it lost… 40 of its 41 seats (including his own) to the SNP. Murphy left the stage the following month.
Jo Swinson — 144 days (2.9 Liz Farms)
The next British Prime Minister? Probably not. Swinson’s ascension to leader of the Liberal Democrat party in July 2019 came at the height of the country’s Brexit wars. Promising to overturn Brexit if a Lib Dem majority government was elected, the 2019 general election instead saw his East Dunbartonshire seat go to, you guessed it, the SNP.
Edwin Poots — 33 days (0.7 Liz farms)
This guy makes Truss look good. Poots’ tenure as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party ended abruptly in June 2021 after an internal revolt. The young earth creationist was shown the door, but Poots had the last laugh and is now Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Is UKIP doing UKIP?
Do you remember all that? The Brexiteer UK Independent Party (UKIP) played a major role in the campaign to take Britain out of the EU. But after achieving his big goal in the Brexit referendum in 2016, the stability offered (no, really) by Nigel Farage’s leadership collapsed.
Diane James lasted 18 days (0.4 Liz Trusses) while its successor Paul Nuttall managed a relatively respectable 193 (3.9 Liz Trusses).
Henry Boltoner, became leader in February 2018 after 141 days (2.9 Liz Trusses) in the position when members supported his removal. Neil Hamiltona scandal-hit former Tory MP, has now been steering the UKIP ship since September 2020. That’s 27 Liz Trusses.
Politico
