This is a chronological list of all those who served as British prime minister and were still living at different periods in history. There have been four periods when there was only one living prime minister, starting with the appointment of Robert Walpole, and more recently during the second term of William Ewart Gladstone upon the death of Benjamin Disraeli. There have been eleven periods when six living current or former prime ministers co-existed, with the longest being a nine-year period beginning with the first appointment of Robert Peel. The most recent period is ongoing since July 2019, when Boris Johnson was appointed prime minister; his five living predecessors are John Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Theresa May. There has been one period with no living prime minister, a period of ten days that spanned the death of Henry Pelham on 6 March and the appointment of the Duke of Newcastle. If one were to include future prime ministers, there was one period when nineteen had co-existed.
During eleven periods in the history of Great Britain and the United Kingdom from 1801 to present, there have been six persons alive to have been Prime Minister. Such periods include: from October to November 1768 ; from January to November 1770 ; from December 1783 to March 1792 ; from December 1834 to February 1844 ; from May to October 1923 ; from January 1924 to February 1928 ; from October 1964 to January 1965 ; from April 1976 to January 1977 ; from May 1979 to December 1986 ; from November 1990 to May 1995. The eleventh and most recent period is ongoing since July 2019. Of these periods, the earliest two and the most recent three consisted of each Prime Minister appointed consecutively. The longest period where there have been six living prime ministers was 9 years and 67 days, ending with the death of Addington in February 1844.
There has been only one period where there has been no living prime minister - in March 1754 following Pelham's death on 6 March to Newcastle's appointment on 16 March.
Newcastle was the only person to be both the only living Prime Minister and one of the six living prime ministers.
There have been 22 premierships during which a Prime Minister has not died, the most recent being Theresa May's premiership. This does not include the premierships of Lord Wilmington, Rockingham and George Canning, nor the premiership of incumbent Boris Johnson. Conversely, only twice has there been as many as three deaths during a premiership. The longest streak of premierships without a prime ministerial death is three, which has happened twice: no Prime Minister died during the premierships of Newcastle, the Duke of Devonshire or Bute; nor would a Prime Minister die during the premierships of Eden, Macmillan or Douglas-Home. If one were to include the multiple terms served by each Prime Minister that had been in office more than once, the record is five: no Prime Minister died during Salisbury's first ministry, Gladstone's third ministry, Salisbury's second ministry, Gladstone's fourth ministry or during the premiership of Rosebery.
Because he was the first Prime Minister, and the fact that he served for more than twenty years, Walpole holds the distinction of serving over the longest period during which no prime ministers died. The second longest term without a death of a Prime Minister would be that of Lord Liverpool who served almost fifteen years in office. In recent years, the Prime Minister who served the longest without a death during his term was Macmillan, who served for almost seven years in office.
The longest period between deaths of prime ministers was the 17 years and 41 days between the deaths of Baldwin on 14 December 1947 and Churchill on 24 January 1965. The shortest was the 113 days between the deaths of Callaghan on 26 March 2005 and Heath on 17 July 2005.
* If the longest period between deaths is to be exceeded, no Prime Minister must die before 19 May 2030.
* The second longest was the 17 years and 30 days between the deaths of Disraeli on 19 April 1881 and Gladstone on 19 May 1898.
Only three times have there been two prime ministers dying in the same year.
Following his premiership's end in 1804, Addington lived to see a record 14 premierships prior to his death in February 1844. Goderich follows with 12 premierships after his own premiership ended in 1828, prior to his death in January 1859. In modern times, the Prime Minister to have lived to see the most premierships following their own was Lloyd George, with eight following the end of his premiership in 1922.
If one includes future as well as past and current prime ministers, the record sits at nineteen:
