by Kevin Meagher
‘In the next few days, we will all see more of the new-look Rishi Sunak,’ the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg predicted yesterday, previewing the Conservative party conference which is about to start in Manchester.
“’Mr Safe Pair of Hands’ is gone – it’s ‘No more Mr Nice Guy’ now,’ apparently.
Truly, the sort of dismal, by-the-numbers briefing that PMs in trouble always make.
John Major amusingly claimed that when your back’s against the wall, you should ‘turn around and come out fighting.’
Croaky Iain Duncan-Smith was the quiet man turning up the volume.
We’ve been here a million times.
When you’re taking political blows, the inevitable relaunch always looks to project raw power.
The claim of decisiveness is usually inverse to the reality.
The true test of a leader is what they do, not what they claim. A brand – or rebrand – must be founded on substance.
So, in a spirit of ecumenism from across the political aisle, let me suggest how Sunak can transform words into deeds with one simple move.
Remove the whip from Liz Truss.
Madam 49 Jours appears to have de-iced from the political Siberia she was sent to last year – by her own colleagues and the international money markets.
