He was once the darling of the Tory party, taking centre stage as the country plunged into crisis in 2020, and was the most popular leadership candidate among MPs less than two months ago.
But today Rishi Sunak's Downing Street dream is in tatters, sparking speculation about where his future lies.
The former Chancellor forced a smile as he walked into the gaping conference room for today's announcement, having been told moments earlier he had been defeated by the Foreign Secretary after winning 42.6% of Tory members' votes.
