A new mobile game, "No 10: Full Confidence," developed by Benjamin Brewis, offers players the chance to step into the shoes of a prime minister and confront a series of simulated political crises. The game, inspired by the rapid turnover of leaders in Downing Street, has quickly risen to the top of Apple's computer-game charts.
Players are presented with hypothetical scenarios, such as managing a London Tube strike, responding to a fiscal crisis that necessitates cutting manifesto promises, or dealing with a minister involved in a scandal. The game also includes diplomatic challenges, like navigating a fallout with a foreign president. Each decision affects player support among backbench members of Parliament, cabinet ministers, the media, and the public. Reaching zero percent support in any of these categories results in the player being removed from office.
One player's experience, described by parliamentary sketch writer Quentin Letts, saw their simulated premiership end after two years and ten months in one attempt, and one year and nine months in another. Letts noted that in both instances, his in-game leadership was ended by the media, despite having high support from MPs and cabinet members. The game's mechanics include time pressure, with players having only seconds to make decisions, a feature that can lead to panic and accidental incorrect choices.
The game incorporates elements inspired by real political events, such as Conservative Chief Whip Gavin Williamson's pet tarantula or former Prime Minister Boris Johnson's encounter with a walk-in fridge. It also presents players with scenarios involving natural disasters, like a drought, or unusual urban wildlife issues, such as an overpopulation of parakeets in London.
"No 10: Full Confidence" is available for purchase, with the article noting its playful skepticism towards political decision-making processes. The game's inventor, Benjamin Brewis, has drawn parallels between the simulated challenges and the pressures faced by actual political leaders.