In what has become an increasingly common occurrence in recent years, the country is preparing to welcome yet another new Prime Minister.
Sir Keir Starmer announced his resignation as Labour leader earlier in the summer, just less than two years after leading the party to a landslide victory in the 2024 general election. His successor, Andy Burnham, is officially set to become Prime Minister today (July 20).
The former Greater Manchester mayor will meet King Charles III before he becomes the latest resident of Number 10 Downing Street. He is set to address the nation for the first time in a matter of hours.
But as we prepare for yet another new Prime Minister, we got to thinking in the wake of all the chopping and changing in the last 10 years, which PMs have actually left a positive impression.
We asked the Yorkshire Evening Post readers on Facebook who had been the best Prime Minister of their lifetime - and it sparked quite the debate.
In no particular order, here are the best Prime Ministers according to our readers.
1. Clement Attlee
Not many of our readers will have been born when he was Prime Minister, but Clement Attlee certainly had a big hand in shaping modern Britain. He was the PM when the NHS was first formed in 1948. Reader Andrew Bailey wrote: “Born towards the end of the Attlee government does that count?” | Hulton Archive/ Getty Images Photo: Hulton Archive/ Getty Images
2. Tony Blair
One of the most consequential Prime Ministers in recent memory, he is more controversial these days. However, reader Matt Walker-Berry wrote: “Blair gets a lot of criticism now, but my memories of the late 1990s and 2000s are positive. Pay was rising, there were plenty of opportunities for promotion, interest rates were low, ISAs encouraged people to save and invest, the arts were thriving, and low-cost airlines made foreign travel affordable for everyone. Where I lived, schools, hospitals and GP surgeries were rebuilt or modernised. More than anything, the country just felt more optimistic, better mannered and generally more polite.” | POOL/AFP via Getty Images Photo: POOL/AFP via Getty Images
3. Gordon Brown
The last Labour PM before Keir Starmer led the party to victory in 2024, Brown was in charge at the start of the 2008 economic crisis. His handling of that huge moment led our reader Rich Harrison to name him the best PM of his lifetime. He wrote: “Brown I think, his handling of the financial crash was world leading, his time as chancellor before that completely uplifted the country after decades of being run down by the Tories.” | Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images Photo: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
4. Sir Winston Churchill
Not quite sure if many of our readers are actually old enough to remember Sir Winston’s time as Prime Minister, but he was a name that was suggested a number of times. The PM from 1940 to 1945, he did later return for a second spell in Number 10 from 1951 to 1955. David Mills wrote: “Sir Winston Churchill. He won a war.” | Fox Photos/Getty Images Photo: Fox Photos/Getty Images
5. Harold Wilson
The Yorkshire born political heavyweight Harold Wilson was twice PM in the middle-part of the 20th century. He had many fans among our readers and was the second most common pick. In a comment, reader Steve Redgrave said: “Wilson’s greatest legacy was the creation of The Open University and the Polytechnics where you could study part-time and full-time for vocational degrees. He admitted that himself in his memoirs.” Carol Cowgill added: “He stood up to USA re Vietnam and got on with the job.” | Hulton Archive/Getty Images Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
6. Margaret Thatcher
Safe to say, not many PMs have shaped modern Britain the way Thatcher did - for better and for worse. Like Blair, she is a divisive figure in 2026, but clearly has her fans among YEP readers and was the name that came up the most. In one comment, MT Taylor wrote: “Margaret Thatcher. By a daylight mile. Tamed the unions, returned industry to the private sector, cut subsidies, cut taxes, right-to-buy, made this country competitive. I was only a child when she was in power, but I've lived her legacy and I'm extremely thankful.” | Hulton Archive/Getty Images Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images