Second Premiership of the Viscount Sidmouth

This article is about the events of the Viscount Sidmouth's second Premiership. For the cabinet of his Premiership, see Second Sidmouth Ministry.

Second Premiership of the Viscount Sidmouth 6 December 2024 – 6 January 2025
Monarch	Charles III George VII
Cabinet	Second Sidmouth Ministry
Party	The Unionist Party
Seat	10 Downing Street
Coat of Arms of HM Government under Charles III (left) and George VII (right)

Thomas Carew, The Viscount Sidmouth's third tenure as Prime Minister of Great Britain began on the 6 December 2024 when he accepted an invitation form a Government by Charles III, following the resignation of the former PM, Matthew Somerset, The Duke of Somerset, and ended on the 6 January 2025, following the conclusion of the January 2025 General Election in which he was succeeded by his political mentor and Leader of the Heron-Unionist Coalition, William Somerset. During this time, Carew also served as First Lord of the Treasury and as Chair of the Unionist Party, the second-highest position within the Unionist Party. He also served as Secretary of State for Culture, having done so during the administration of his predecessor. This was Carew's third tenure as Prime Minister; he was the ninth and final Prime Minister of King Charles III, and the first Prime Minister of King George VII, who ascended to the throne on the 1 January 2025. Upon his departure from Downing Street, it was the first time Carew was not a member of the Cabinet of Great Britain, having served in Government in such a capacity since September 2023.

Having already served twice as Prime Minister, Carew continued to remain in frontline politics in a variety of positions, such as a stint as Downing Street Chief of Staff, and, in his predecessors cabinet, as Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Culture (& Education). However, this appointment was seen as a mere formality denoting the status of Carew's Unionist Party in the large Conservative & Unionist Coalition that had won the November 2024 General Election: indeed, the Leader of the Unionist Party was in fact Carew's son, August Carew, The Baron Calder, who served as Foreign Secretary, and who was considered the pre-eminent figure in the party. Nevertheless, the unexpected workload placed on The Duke of Somerset as Prime Minister led to his resignation less than a month into the job, following exaserbating periods of fatigue relating to Thanksgiving and other such factors. Carew, therefore, was the preferred successor as DPM. As a result, he was summoned to the palace as the unlikely successor, accepting the invitation to form a Government for the fourth time in 2024. Nevertheless, Carew commanded a working majority in the Commons, both from the coalition and later when the Conservatives dissolved, from defecting MPs to the Unionists and cross-bench support in general.

Carew's third stint as Prime Minister in 2024 was characterised by developments most notably in Foreign Affairs, with the success of the Anglo-Europeian Winter Gala held over the Christmas period, and culturally, with Carew fulfilling initiatives such as the Chief Mousers, establishment of the National Trust, and the implementation of the Constituency Legacy Act. Domestically, there was also the publishing of the momentous White Paper "The Path Forward", which was reminiscent of the previous Marsham White Paper that looked into the recruitment and retention efforts and methods of the region. However, Carew also abandoned key ideas of the Conservative Party and his predecessor, such as electoral reform of the Romefeller Method and the return of the Address-in-Reply: in both, but especially regarding the latter, he was the loudest critic in the Somerset Cabinet of such policies.

Despite the Premiership not achieving landslide or momentous reform, it's ranked as a relatively average, consistent Premiership, befitting considering Carew's trademark style of stability and consistency: his regular updates and announcements from 10 Downing Street, even over the busy Festive Period, remained a welcome breath of fresh air when compared to the scarcity of updates by his predecessors.

Throughout the entirety of his Premiership, it was known as the Second Sidmouth Ministry, despite the fact that from the 1 January 2025, Carew was actually the Earl of Devon: he used the title for the short remainder of his time in office, but the Premiership remained known as the Second Sidmouth Ministry, as opposed to the Devon Ministry. It was the third time in regional history that a sitting PM had recieved an elevation in the peerage while in office: the previous two times also were to Carew.

Background

November 2024 General Election

A coalition consisting of the Conservative Party and the Unionist Party swept to a surprise election victory in the November 2024 General Election, resulting in the coalition leader, Matthew Somerset, The Duke of Somerset becoming Prime Minister for the third time. Many pre-election polls and predictions suggested that it would be the "Rose and Sickle Coalition", consisting of the BWP and Labour Party, who were to take power, but they ultimately recieved just one seat in Parliament.

Carew was re-elected comfortably for his ninth consecutive session as the Member of Parliament for East Devon, which would ultimately be the last win in a stretch of nine; it was his sixth session as Parent of the House of Commons.

Premiership

Carew met with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace on the 6th December 2024, to accept an invitation to form a Government in his name. It was the fourth time Carew was asked to form a Government, and the last time Charles III invited a PM to the palace.

Cabinet

For more information, see: Second Sidmouth Ministry.