New party leaders usually deliver their party a boost in the polls. One of the first signs that voters were not comfortable with Liz Truss as their Prime Minister was the absence of any rise in Conservative fortunes following her success last September in securing the keys to 10 Downing St. Those doubts were then simply strongly amplified when the financial markets reacted adversely to her ‘fiscal event’ in which she and her chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, proposed to fund tax cuts via borrowing.
Even if Yes voters’ faith in independence continues to be undiminished, their support for the SNP no longer appears unconditional.
Half a year later, her successor, Rishi Sunak, has so far only had modest success in reversing the damage done to his party’s reputation for good government – including among the many Leave supporters who backed the Conservatives in 2019 in order to ‘get Brexit done’. Their loyalty was far from unconditional.
Britain’s best politics newsletters
You get two free articles each week when you sign up to The Spectator’s emails.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Comments
Join the debate for just £1 a month
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for £3.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just £1 a monthAlready a subscriber? Log in