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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Comment
Stefan Stern

Wannabe prime ministers are nakedly ambitious to run the UK, but why? That is the burning question

Keir Starmer and Andy Burnham meet children at a primary school in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, 13 April 2026.
Keir Starmer and Andy Burnham meet children at a primary school in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, 13 April 2026. Photograph: Paul Ellis/AP

Ah, Mr Burnham, come in, take a seat. Mr Streeting, good to see you. We’ll also be interviewing Mr Starmer, then Ms Rayner; Mr Farage and Mr Polanski come in this afternoon. So, this prime minister job: what are you in it for?

That’s how I would do it. The “what are you in it for?” question gets to the heart of personal ambition. Of course we all tell prospective employers that we are hard-working, able, conscientious and ambitious. But that last claim, in particular, needs to be followed up and tested a bit. Ambitious for what? Ambitious for whom?

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