Rishi Sunak is a hit on the world stage

Voters will have learned several things about Rishi Sunak in recent days: that he thinks he can win the next election; that he and his wife have fallen 50-plus places on the annual Sunday Times Rich List, and that he can emerge from a punishing flight schedule – London to Hiroshima via Reykjavik and Tokyo – with little overt trace of jet-lag. 

But there is something else, which may in time prove to be more significant: the UK’s youngest Prime Minister of modern times is increasingly being treated as an equal and congenial colleague by his counterparts abroad. This weekend marked his first appearance at what is still thought of – though who knows for how long – as the global top table. From his smiling descent from the plane, sheltering his wife under a Union flag umbrella, to his closing press conference at the Hiroshima G7, Rishi Sunak looked comfortable and assured without appearing showy or arrogant.