More than 150 Conservative MPs came to view Rishi Sunak as their saviour from the threatened return of a scandal-mired Boris Johnson. But when Sunak was at his lowest point this year, after revelations about his family’s tax affairs, some of his closest supporters were unsure whether he really wanted to be prime minister – or was even that committed to his then job as chancellor.
The scrutiny of the family took its toll and they moved out of Downing Street for some breathing space. Some aides wondered at the time whether Sunak would give up his seat at the next election for a return to his old life in California.
