UPPSC PYQ 1 (2020) — Geography
Which of the following ocean currents is associated with Indian Ocean?
- Florida current
- Canary current
- Agulhas current
- Kurile current
Answer: C. Agulhas current
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On July 20, 2026, Andy Burnham — the former Mayor of Greater Manchester — was formally appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, replacing Keir Starmer, who was forced out following a rebellion within the governing Labour Party. Burnham had been declared uncontested leader of the Labour Party three days earlier, on July 17, 2026, after receiving nominations from over 94% of Labour Members of Parliament — the highest proportion of MP backing recorded in a modern Labour leadership contest — making him the only eligible candidate when nominations closed.
Known popularly as the 'King of the North' for his tenure championing devolution and regional interests from Manchester, Burnham becomes Britain's seventh Prime Minister in a decade, a churn rate that has itself become a talking point about the stability of the UK's parliamentary system.
For aspirants preparing for UPSC, UPPSC, MPSC, and other state PSC exams, this topic is directly relevant for GS Paper 2 (International Relations, Comparative Government and Politics — Parliamentary systems) and frequently appears as a current-affairs-linked question comparing the UK's Westminster system with India's own parliamentary democracy.
The United Kingdom operates a Westminster-style parliamentary system in which the party commanding a majority in the House of Commons forms the government, and its leader becomes Prime Minister without a separate popular vote for the top executive post — a change in party leadership can therefore change the Prime Minister without a general election, as happened here. Keir Starmer had led Labour to a landslide general election victory in July 2024, ending 14 years of Conservative-led government, but his premiership was marked by economic headwinds, fiscal tightening, and growing internal party dissent, culminating in a leadership rebellion in mid-2026 that forced his resignation.
Burnham, who had earlier lost Labour leadership contests in 2010 and 2015 before building a power base as Greater Manchester's directly elected Mayor from 2017, re-entered national politics as the consensus candidate of a party seeking to reunite around a figure seen as capable of countering the rising popularity of the right-wing populist party Reform UK.
This marks the sixth change of UK Prime Minister since 2016 (David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak, Keir Starmer), reflecting a period of sustained political volatility.
Leadership Transition
Background of the New PM
Political Context
Governance Implications
Political and Constitutional Dimensions Under the UK's uncodified constitution, the Prime Minister is whoever commands the confidence of the House of Commons — conventionally the leader of the largest party — meaning a change in party leadership, ratified by the monarch inviting the new leader to form a government, is constitutionally sufficient to change the head of government without a general election. This contrasts structurally with India, where the Prime Minister similarly holds office on Lok Sabha confidence (Article 75), but mid-term change of the ruling party's leader also does not constitutionally require fresh elections — a comparative point frequently tested in GS Paper 2.
Economic and Financial Dimensions Burnham inherits an economy facing fiscal constraints, sluggish growth, and public pressure over cost-of-living pressures — themes that dominated Starmer's tenure. Dropping the digital ID scheme suggests an initial focus on cost-saving and public trust rather than large new spending commitments.
Social Dimensions Burnham's political identity has been built around devolution and 'levelling up' the historically under-invested North of England relative to London and the South East, a regional-equity theme with echoes in India's own centre-state fiscal devolution debates under the Finance Commission framework.
Governance and Administrative Dimensions The transition illustrates the flexibility of the Westminster model in absorbing leadership crises without a full electoral cycle, but also raises governance-continuity questions given the UK has had seven Prime Ministers in ten years, each requiring cabinet reshuffles and renewed international engagement.
International Perspective As a G7 economy and permanent UN Security Council member, a change in UK premiership has ripple effects for India-UK ties, including the implementation trajectory of the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) signed in 2025, and the India-UK Roadmap 2030 partnership.
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Which of the following ocean currents is associated with Indian Ocean?
Answer: C. Agulhas current
Without green house effect, the average temperature of earth surface would be
Answer: B. –18°C
1. In Ease of Doing Business Report 2020, India's rank is 63. 2. India ranking for Ease of Doing Business in the year 2019 was 77.
With reference to the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business Report, which of the following statement(s) is/are correct?
Answer: B. 2 only
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Geography · 2020Which of the following ocean currents is associated with Indian Ocean?
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