US Vice President JD Vance has said Britain has been "failed by its leadership for a long time," arguing that years of political instability have left voters demanding meaningful structural reform.
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Vance expressed hope that Britain's next prime minister would be able to put the country back on track after a decade of frequent leadership changes.
Speaking to The Sunday Times, Vance said the rapid turnover of British prime ministers points to deeper issues within the country's political system.
"What I see is six prime ministers in the last few years," he said. "What that says to me is that something is very broken about British politics and that people are really crying out for significant structural change."
He added that Britain had been "failed by its leadership for a long time."
Expresses hope for Britain's next PM
Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced last month that he would step down after two years in office, setting the stage for Britain to appoint its seventh prime minister in a decade.
Lawmaker Andy Burnham has emerged as the sole candidate to succeed Starmer and is widely expected to become Britain's next prime minister.
Vance said he hoped Burnham would be able to deliver the reforms voters were seeking.
"I hope that Andy Burnham — and if not Andy Burnham, somebody else — is able to deliver it," he said.
He added that his priority was for "whoever the prime minister is" to find a way to get Britain back on track.
Praises Britain despite political criticism
Despite his criticism of Britain's political leadership, Vance spoke warmly about the country.
The vice president, whose wife Usha studied at the University of Cambridge, described Britain as "an amazing place" with "the most amazing people in the world" outside the United States.
He has previously spoken publicly about his admiration for the UK.
Vance's remarks come after a sometimes uneasy but largely functional relationship between British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump.
Although the two leaders differed on issues including Iran, Gaza and Ukraine, they repeatedly emphasized the importance of the longstanding US-UK "special relationship."
Their governments also secured trade and investment agreements during Starmer's time in office.
Following Starmer's resignation announcement last month, President Trump described him as "a lovely man" and "a sort of friend of mine."
However, Trump also criticized Starmer's handling of immigration and energy policy before wishing him well.
Trump has also described Andy Burnham as "extremely liberal" and suggested Britain's likely next leader would oppose expanding oil and gas production in the North Sea—an issue Trump had urged Starmer to support.
US pledges to work with Britain's next leader
Although Vance acknowledged that he did not know much about Burnham personally, he stressed that the United States would continue working closely with whichever leader takes office.
"Whoever is the prime minister, we're going to work with them and work with them as successfully as we can," he said.
He reiterated that Britain remains one of Washington's closest allies.
