Even in a year of extraordinary political volatility, the fall and rise of Rishi Sunak has been an astonishing spectacle. On the day of his appointment as prime minister — the first Briton of Asian descent to achieve the distinction — it is worth recalling that in April it seemed possible he would leave frontline politics.
Bruised by the poor reception given to his Spring Statement and the controversy over his wife’s tax affairs, his own US green card, and (lest we forget) his fine for breach of Covid regulations, the then Chancellor was widely considered to be a spent political force. On April 4, in the ConservativeHome website’s regular survey of party members and their opinion of Cabinet members, Sunak was third from the bottom — below such household names as Nigel Adams and Michael Ellis.
