A divided Tory party is destined to lose the next election

I think that I may be able to claim credit for being the first writer to question the once universal assumption that Rishi Sunak would be the next Prime Minister. Back in March, after the then-Chancellor’s disastrous Spring budget statement, in a piece for this site headlined ‘How Sunak Sunk Himself’ I pointed out the dents in the smooth billionaire’s shiny armour that have now become gaping rusty holes, and turned ‘Dishy Rishi’ into ‘Fishy Rishi’.

Too rich during a cost of living firestorm, too out of touch with ordinary people struggling to make ends meet, and too prone to making basic political errors, Sunak’s flaws have been brutally exposed by his nakedly ambitious grab for the Tory leadership. That effort now looks certain to hand the keys of No. 10 to his rival Liz Truss. A campaign which began with the ex-Chancellor openly stabbing his next-door-neighbour in Downing Street in the back, is ending by proving the truth of the old adage that he who wields the dagger never gets to wear the crown.

Now, once again gazing into a Mystic Meg crystal ball, I venture to make another prediction: the Tory party, fatally sundered by Sunak’s treachery, will lose the next election in 2024.