Think Sunak will be a relief as prime minister? Think again

With Liz Truss having been so useless, and Boris Johnson having made millions feel sick at the idea of his return, Rishi Sunak’s ascent to the premiership may feel to many like something of a relief. Amid that relief, it would be all too easy to overlook the fact that he is well over on the right of his party.

Sunak is a Sovereign Individual type, who very much believes in the rich getting richer at the expense of the rights and prosperity of those further down the economic chain. He was also, unlike Johnson, a Brexit true believer, and the economic mess he takes over was exacerbated by Trussonomics, but did not start with it.

Nor should we forget, though he did finally knife Johnson, that he had sat alongside the Charlatan-in-Chief as the second most important figure in that Cabinet, knowing who and what he was, and defending him to the hilt. Oh, and he broke lockdown laws with him too.

He is now trying to do what Theresa May, Johnson and Liz Truss all did, and present himself as the leader of a new government. It is not. Only a general election can give us that.

Five Tory prime ministers in six years. We used to laugh at Italy. We are the global joke now. All five, Sunak included, have played a part in making it happen.