‘50 Shades of Beige’: Meet Britain’s New Prime Minister
Supported by
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
‘50 Shades of Beige’: Meet Britain’s New Prime Minister
-
Share full article
Video by Jonathan Pie and Adam Westbrook
Jonathan Pie is a fictional newscaster created by the British comedian Tom Walker. Mr. Westbrook is a producer and editor with Opinion Video.
The final votes in Britain’s parliamentary elections are still being counted, but one thing is crystal clear: After 14 years in power, the Conservative Party is out.
More than that: It’s been thoroughly punished by the British public, reduced to barely 120 seats, the party’s worst result in it’s history. Several prominent figures — including former Prime Minister Liz Truss — lost their seats.
While other European countries are experiencing a rise in right-wing populism, Britain has rallied behind the centrist and sensible Labour Party and its centrist and sensible leader, Keir Starmer, who becomes prime minister.
To understand this huge trend-bucking shift, we once again turn to the fictional newscaster Jonathan Pie, performed by the comedian Tom Walker. In the Opinion video above, he offers his balanced, professional — and definitely not celebratory — take on the closing of this chapter in British political history.
Tom Walker is a British comedian who created and performs as the fictional newscaster Jonathan Pie. Adam Westbrook is a producer and editor with Opinion Video.
Opinion Video combines original reporting with creative storytelling to produce visually transformative commentary. Pitch a video guest essay here.
The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And here’s our email: [email protected].
Follow the New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp, X and Threads.
