They just can’t let him be, can they? Rishi Sunak I mean. During the summer when Sunak was campaigning to be the leader of the Conservative Party I found myself having
conversations with friends — not Tory Party members or even supporters — who spoke highly of him,
And this weekend I was sitting with one of those friends having coffee and we found ourselves talking about the PM again. We both agreed how suited to the job he was. But then the uncomfortable moment came when we looked at each other and said: “They just can’t let him be can they.” Here’s what we meant.
Last week when the PM said that he wanted maths to be taught to students until they were 18, social media exploded with memes mocking him. For what? As far as I could tell the plan boiled down to him wanting to give children better life skills.
Not everyone was as unhinged as Simon Pegg, who branded him a “pr**k” in a furious rant, but the reactions were so over the top that you had to wonder what really was the issue.
It’s time to be honest. This idea of Boris Johnson coming back is not going to happen and it can’t. Those who keep talking up the idea are not doing this country, or their party, any favours. I am also not even sure Boris wants to come back. He has been PM and now he can focus on other things that he cares about, just as former PMs have done.
The future is with Rishi and a party that moves back to the centre. In a world where our allies like France and Canada have Emmanuel Macron and Justin Trudeau, we need Rishi. I think, counter intuitively, he is in a strong position to win the next election. He can win over undecided voters — because the silent majority is with him. So, too, are people like Sir Adrian Smith, the President of Royal Society, who said of his numeracy announcement: “Maths, data, statistics and numeracy are essential skills for a modern world.” This is what a lot of people think too. If we want our economy to thrive and young people to be prepared for well- paid jobs, we need a radical overhaul of our education system. This is something the PM understands.
I hope there are more plans like this that take in childcare, for one. NHS reform and investment is another, obviously, that I hope Rishi thinks about carefully.
More than anything, though, I wish some in the Tory Party would give him the chance to deliver without the constant bad faith tweets and briefings. If there was ever anything I respected about the Tories on the Right, it was that unlike the hard Left of Labour Party, they would never attack their leader publicly. On a daily basis. And when he was actually doing a better job than the ones who came before. But so far, I am being proved wrong.
We have seen the mess The Labour Party found itself in after those who supported the former leader could not get behind the current one. Is that what the Conservative Party wants?
Kate Middleton has a right to enjoy her birthday
It was Kate Middleton’s birthday yesterday and as a Capricorn, I know her pain. She gets a slightly better date than me and other December Capricorns, but I really hope she had a great day. Because with whatever is going on in that family right now (and, you might have noticed, there’s quite a lot), she is a young woman and mother who has put duty before so much else.
I have said before that this whole team Harry or team Will stuff is pointless. Everyone has their truth, but outside of that Kate also has the right to her own life and happiness. And hers is a birthday with a less than ideal date, so I think it is massively unfair for her to have also yesterday missed out on her day to be celebrated because of all the media drama. I really hope she got breakfast in bed with her kids and a moment to be the girl she was before joining the royal family.
