It seemed as if some sort of stability might finally arrive. The British government had been in a terminal state since Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s “partygate.” The Downing Street “Covid jollies” stood in contrast to the dignified but lonely presence of Queen Elizabeth II at the funeral of her husband, Prince Philip, in St. George’s Chapel in April 2021. She symbolized the situation of so many who had lost a loved one during the pandemic but had complied with the government’s rules on large gatherings and social distancing. For several long, hot summer months, the country was held hostage by the interminable Conservative Party leadership election. Crises seemed to multiply while the government went into paralysis waiting for the outcome: the Ukrainian war, the sudden and crippling rise in energy costs, inflation, stagnation, strikes, the National Health Service buckling under pressure.
