How Rishi Sunak’s brand propelled him to the position of a successor-in-waiting

Next to the increasingly careworn and gaffe-prone Boris Johnson, writes Andrew Woodcock, the chancellor can’t help but look prime ministerial

Sunak at the Bosch factory in Worcester on 9 July to outline his plan for jobs (Getty)

Rishi Sunak is not the first ambitious politician to try to establish his own “brand” as an aid to propelling him to the top.

Margaret Thatcher had her handbag and perm, Tony Blair had his passion for football and rock music, Boris Johnson his untucked shirt and artfully ruffled hair – all of them calculated to help them stand out from a crowd and become one of the rare breed of politicians whom ordinary voters can actually recognise.

But I find it hard to remember a Westminster branding operation as slick and professional as the one that has turned “dishy Rishi” into a household name within months of entering the cabinet.