I survived two years as prime minister in a hit new game - then my cabinet deserted me

I lasted two years as prime minister in a popular new game before my cabinet abandoned me.

In the prime minister simulator "No 10: Full Confidence," players must manage the sentiments of various factions, including their cabinet and the media.

A mobile game developed in Manchester recently surpassed the global phenomenon Minecraft to claim the top spot on Apple's paid games chart. Its success is particularly surprising given its focus: UK politics.

"No 10: Full Confidence," created by Benjamin Brewis, casts players as the prime minister, making decisions through a series of parliamentary scenarios and striving to maintain power for as long as possible. The app's success, along with the emergence of similar games, suggests that the recent dramatic shifts in Westminster politics may have inspired a popular new sub-genre.

"No 10: Full Confidence" is a prime minister simulator game where players, in the challenging role of prime minister, must balance the moods of four factions—their cabinet, backbenchers, the media, and the public—to stay in the game. Decisions are made across more than 300 fictional political scenarios, all handwritten by Brewis. The storylines range from the ordinary, like addressing GP appointment waiting times, to the utterly absurd.

"I have a two or three-part storyline where a dog is let loose into the House of Lords by a lobbyist during a vet bill and that spirals out of control," Brewis explained.

Each scenario presents players with three choices, each potentially pleasing or upsetting different factions. Much like in real life, if one side completely turns against you, your political career is over. While some situations may seem farcical, Brewis noted he drew inspiration from numerous real-life examples.

"I'd remember that MP who had a spider that he'd threaten MPs with, or when Boris Johnson walked into a fridge. I'm frantically writing them all down."

My initial attempt at playing prime minister in "No 10: Full Confidence" has not made me consider a career in Westminster. As my chosen candidate, Verity Grimshaw, I started strong, successfully navigating a crisis where thousands of A-level students received incorrect grades. However, I only managed to stay in office for one year and nine months, ultimately brought down—somewhat ironically given my actual profession—by a complete lack of trust from the press.

Unfortunately, a cabinet minister resigned and published a three-page letter that repeatedly stated, "the PM was warned" four times. This letter being read in full on BBC Radio 4 proved to be the final blow for poor Verity. My last in-game choice, "respond directly, address every point, don't let it sit unanswered," seemingly did not go over well.

Brewis mentioned that some users have performed significantly better than my dismal effort. "Someone has stayed in for 1,885 months, which is 157 years," he said. "I'm not sure if that's a democracy any more."

One scenario players must navigate in "No 10: Full Confidence" raises significant questions about livestock.

Brewis stated he was inspired to start developing the app around December 2025, when "it was all kicking off" with former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, and discussions of potential challenges to his leadership began to intensify. "I remember thinking at the time, someone should just start taking the mick out of this," he recalled. "We've had so many prime ministers—it's funny now."

Five different individuals have held the position at No 10 since 2016—three within a span of just over three years, and one for only 49 days. Dr. Russell Foster, a lecturer in British and International Politics at King's College London, suggested that the "churn of prime ministers" and the increasing presence of politics on social media could also explain why Westminster is now appearing on our devices.

And it was all going so well...

"No 10: Full Confidence" is not the only game centered around Westminster's political maneuvering. "Fantasy Parliament," a browser-based game by another UK-based developer, Evan Roberts, allows players to draft their own fantasy league of real-world MPs, earning points based on their actual media coverage. With the strategy game's Policy Tester, players can even input proposals into a ChatGPT-style AI model, which then responds in the manner it believes different voter groups—such as Coastal Keith or Graduate Gemma—would react.

Meanwhile, "UK Politics Simulator," reportedly "built on real UK data down to ward level," is expected to be released later this year for PC, developed by the Scarborough-based company Black Cannon Games.

Despite the success of his own venture, currently ranking 5th in Apple's UK paid games charts—above Monopoly Go—Brewis is unsure if any politicians have actually played his game. However, he has received feedback on the game's accuracy in depicting UK political life from his friends who work in the civil service. "It's exactly like this," they told him, "but worse."

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