Rishi Sunak: I felt sorry for the Prime Minister - here's why

Yet, yesterday, in the pouring rain with the D:Ream hit Things Can Only Get Better - Labour’s backing track to power all of those years ago - blaring out from a makeshift sound system, drowning out what was meant to be his moment in UK political history … I felt sorry for Rishi Sunak.

Why? I asked myself. Why? Well, because unlike Johnson I truly believe Sunak is a good man. And unlike Truss I think he is an intelligent, capable person. So how, then, does an intelligent, capable person end up delivering an elongated address to the nation in the pouring rain, soaked to the skin, being drowned out - in every sense of the word - by Brian Cox and co’s number one hit from 1993?

Now, here I can only speculate, assume, presume, hypothesise, so here goes: when he came to office, Mr Sunak, in a refreshing moment of pragmatic honesty, said that his becoming Prime Minister was ‘perhaps the worst hospital pass to an incoming PM in decades’ and I think we saw yesterday precisely why he feels that way.

By addressing the nation in a tailored suit in the pouring rain he cut an isolated, ill-advised figure. Don’t listen to those who tell you he wanted to demonstrate resilience, robustness, character. If, indeed, it was his and only his decision, he combined the worst of Liz Truss’ rotten judgement with all of Boris Johnson’s pig-headedness. If it was not his call, then he is surrounded either by people who couldn’t arrange a knees-up at a can-can class or worse, people who wish ill of his political future.

No communication director worth their salt would have allowed what happened yesterday to happen at all. It was an unmitigated disaster and red meat for the red tops. ‘Drowning Street’ read one. ‘Things can only get wetter’ read another. ‘Drown & out’ - the list goes on. When the dust settles, and the rain evaporates, the lasting memory of Mr Sunak will be of him looking like he’d fallen onto the cobbles of Downing Street from a too-hot wash that had shrunk his suit.

Of course, after 14 years in power, the decision this time around - after everything that has gone before - to call an election was always going to be difficult whether the person going cap-in-hand to the King was Rishi Sunak or someone else from the ranks of this Conservative government. For what it’s worth, I think he was right to call it now, and not appear to be clinging to power. He’s backed himself.

Meanwhile, as the news of a snap election came through, one senior Labour MP texts: ‘So. This is it…’ with an air of hope, optimism, dare I say destiny even that this is their moment to bring about change. Quite if it is, I don’t know. Quite what change Labour can bring, I don’t know. What I do know, though, is that we are about to be subject to a relentless farrago of promises, pledges, assurances and guarantees and it is our job to analyse the campaign poetry that will take someone forward to govern in prose and that is one commitment I can guarantee.

So, folks. Strap in. The race is on…

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