Rishi Sunak’s efforts to hold his party together look increasingly futile

The prime minister is increasingly criticised privately by Tory MPs for being too ‘weak’ to stand up to warring backbenchers. Photograph: Tejas Sandhu/SOPA Images/Shutterstock

Holding together an unruly Conservative party ultimately proved an impossible task for Boris Johnson and for Liz Truss – and now risks looking insurmountable for Rishi Sunak.

The prime minister is increasingly criticised privately by Tory MPs for being too “weak” to stand up to warring backbenchers, amid a host of briefings about him backtracking on key policies.