Stephen Fry sympathises with Wikipedia editors as UK gets third prime minister in three months

Stephen Fry has said Wikipedia editors “must be exhausted” after the recent weeks of chaos in British politics.

The latest development in the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it news cycle came on Monday (24 October), as it was announced that Rishi Sunak will be the UK’s third prime minister in three months.

The former chancellor emerged victorious before the Tory leadership race had a chance to go to a vote, after rival Penny Mourdant dropped out minutes before the deadline to meet the threshold of 100 supporters needed to make it onto the ballot.

The leadership race was triggered by Liz Truss’s resignation last week, after she was prime minister for just a month and a half, following Boris Johnson, who stood down after, among other issues, Partygate and the Chris Pincher affair.

Posting on Twitter before Sunak’s triumph was announced on Monday, actor, comedian and writer Fry shared a screenshot of a Wikipedia entry titled “October 2022 United Kingdom government crisis”.

On the page, readers were notified that “this article is about the Truss government crisis. For the Johnson government crisis, see [link] July 2022 United Kingdom government crisis”.

In the caption on the image, Fry wrote: “Those poor old Wikipedia editors must be exhausted...”

The news that Sunak will be the new prime minister comes after Johnson pulled out of the Tory leadership race.

Last night (23 October), BBC News presenter Martine Croxall giggled about the Johnson news live on air, while presenting The Papers, and said it made her feel “gleeful”. She has been taken off air while the corporation looks into complaints of impartiality.