It began with a thud rather than a bang – Rishi Sunak’s surprise election announcement was marred by pouring rain and protesters blaring “Things Can Only Get Better,” a staple of Labour’s 1997 election campaign – but things haven’t been any better for Mr Sunak since.
Not all of his MPs were compliant, with Steve Baker going on holiday and Lucy Allan endorsing the Reform Party candidate, and Michael Gove surprised many by joining a large number of Conservative MPs in announcing he would not stand. Peter Walker While it’s not a dire outcome, it’s certainly far from the smooth, winning start that Sunak would have hoped for for the campaign.
Hannah Moore It examines how two of the Conservative government’s most recent policy announcements – the introduction of National Service and tax cuts for pensioners – have been received and asks: “After a tumultuous first week, can Sunak stabilise his government?”
Photo: Aaron Chong/PA
