‘Curse of Heseltine’: how the wheels came off Rishi Sunak’s No 10 campaign

Rishi Sunak takes part in the final Conservative party hustings event at Wembley Arena, in London, on 31 August 2022. A Tory insider compared his No 10 bid to Michael Heseltine’s role in the resignation of Margaret Thatcher. Photograph: Susannah Ireland/AFP/Getty Images

One of the most familiar refrains of the Conservative leadership contest was candidates earnestly inviting comparisons to Margaret Thatcher.

But after his resignation as chancellor brought down Boris Johnson’s wobbling house of cards, a Tory insider said Rishi Sunak found himself with “the curse of Heseltine hanging round his neck”.