Every loser wins, once the dream begins. So sang the EastEnders actor Nick Berry in a godawful mid-1980s pop song that attempted to cash in on his brief spell as a national heartthrob. In the first round of the Conservative leadership election, it would be more accurate to say that every winner loses, especially in respect of ante-post favourite Rishi Sunak.
Sunak topped the poll with 88 votes from fellow MPs – less than 25 per cent of the Tory party. For a man who was chancellor until a week ago and whose best chance of succeeding Boris Johnson lies in assembling an overwhelming endorsement from the Conservative parliamentary party, it was not good enough.
Not when every poll of party members indicates that the Conservative grassroots don’t want him to become party leader following his central role in the defenestration of Boris Johnson. That may change with Lord Frost’s intervention, rubbishing Penny Mordaunt’s record, but as things stand Sunak’s chances aren’t looking good.
We should no longer bother assessing this Tory leadership contest according to who might beat Mr Sunak
Mordaunt’s second placing last night, with 67 MPs, suddenly puts her in the driving seat, despite amounting to just 19 per cent of Tory MPs.
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