Britons are to be forgiven for being put into a spin by Westminster's political merry-go-round.
One by one, Tory ministers decided that history needed to judge them favourably, and finally resigned from the former Prime Minister Boris Johnson's cabinet, despite backing him for so many years.
With the shambles in Westminster displayed across global media, it was understandable that people in the UK were left reeling while watching the wheels fall off.
A new line-up of wealthy candidates who have never had to worry about choosing between heating and eating (unless one includes heating their stables) have so far not won much affection from Britons caught in the middle of a cost of living crisis.
While many party faithful will be voting soon for their new leader, the fact remains a huge swathe of Britons will be once again left at the mercy of an unelected prime minister who may choose to go a different path to Johnson.
Opperman's hand on the pensions policy crank is some sop of comfort to the financial services industry.What would this mean for the average Briton facing various financial barriers (pensions poverty, the rising cost of care, house prices far out of the reach of the median salary, fuel increases and soaring inflation)?
What measures will be promised – and put in place – to help protect the pounds in people's pockets?
A whirlwind in Westminster at a time when the country is being affected by a shrinking economy cannot help lift consumer confidence.
One bit of positive news is that Guy Opperman stepped back into the role as pensions minister after resigning from Johnson's cabinet amid the raft of resignations at the beginning of the month.
He has agreed to remain in place to keep the pensions legislation coming until the new prime minister is in place – ostensibly when parliament returns after its summer recess but, given how we are all used to being surprised by events, it might not be a surprise to see Johnson remain in situ for longer.
Opperman's hand on the pensions policy crank is some sop of comfort to the financial services industry. He has been the longest serving pensions minister and is overseeing the implementation of the incoming pensions dashboard as well as other legislation.
As reported by FTAdviser, Opperman said: "[I] have agreed to help the Department for Work and Pensions navigate the next few weeks, while we decide the appointment of a new prime minister.
"[The DWP is dealing with] superfunds, defined benefit issues, an outstanding [environmental, social and governance] consultation, ongoing correction exercises, and three to four pending private members bills."
Merry-go-rounds are fun while they last, don't get me wrong. We've all enjoyed the news and reading the comments on Twitter with a bag of popcorn to hand.
But we are also all too well aware of what happens when nobody is left in charge of operations: things eventually go so fast they fall off.
And while too many Britons are too financially insecure, it is only right that the best people possible are put in charge to prevent political and economic catastrophe for the country.
Simoney Kyriakou is senior editor on FTAdviser
