The Independent view

Time is running out for Rishi Sunak to regain the trust of the country

Editorial: On the abuse of parliament, the denial of human rights to asylum seekers and on the economy, the Sunak government increasingly looks out of control

Thursday 29 June 2023 19:14 BST
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(Dave Brown)

Even by the standards of recent times, it was an appalling morning for the government. At 9am, the House of Commons privileges committee published its latest bombshell report.

The distinguished cross-party group of MPs found that prominent Tories, and predictably all close allies of Boris Johnson, had in essence actively tried to undermine and betray parliamentary democracy. Jacob Rees-Mogg and Nadine Dorries, who until relatively recently were cabinet ministers, were the ring leaders. Quelle surprise.

As soon as the media and Tory party managers had caught their breath came the still more momentous announcement that the Court of Appeal has ruled against the government’s Rwanda deportation scheme, rendering it unlawful and useless. Plus, almost unnoticed in the tumult of bad news, Britain’s biggest lenders ramped mortgage rates up, again, on a seemingly inexorable upward trajectory.

All of this, it should be noted, coming in the context of Labour enjoying an almost effortless 20-point poll lead, some “difficult” by-elections, and a recession in 2024 (ie an election year) looking increasingly likely. As the famous New Labour campaign song didn’t quite go: things won’t necessarily get better.

Taken together, these stories represent a terrible indictment on the record of the last three Conservative prime ministers. Boris Johnson, in particular, has obviously been responsible for Partygate and all that ensued from that, including the damning parliamentary findings into his behaviour and that of his associates.

Never has a former prime minister fallen from grace quote so precipitously and, it must be said, with such Trumpian vindictiveness on his part. He destroyed trust in his party and his government.

Rishi Sunak served Mr Johnson – albeit he eventually found the scruples to resign from his government. Nonetheless, as prime minister and chancellor he has presided over a chequered record on the economy. He is also, unaccountably, persisting with his inhumane and unlawful Rwanda scheme.

As a 49-day footnote in history, not much can be said about Liz Truss’ turn as premier, save that she endorsed the policies she inherited and left her own unique mark by blowing up the gilts market.

On the abuse of parliament, the denial of human rights to asylum seekers and on the economy, the Sunak government increasingly looks out of control of events – and, when it does manage to take initiative, somehow usually picks the wrong option.

It might have been different. Mr Sunak and his party should have backed the Commons privileges committee unequivocally, and denounced those in their ranks who sought to undermine it and intimidate their fellow MPs who were merely discharging their democratic duty. He could have built an asylum system where cases are reviewed rapidly. On the economy, Mr Sunak offers not much more than collective advice to “keep our nerve”.

By contrast, it was a very good day for the Commons and the courts, both robustly asserting their independence and standing up to the excesses of our governing party. The privileges committee called out the coordinated campaign to intimidate MPs into saving the skin of the chamber’s most outrageous liar.

The Court of Appeal decided that they were not there to help ministers or to obey some supposed, and unevidenced, “will of the people” on the issue of migration. The judges, as they strained to make clear, are not interested in the politics of the case, or what the home secretary thinks is lawful. Suella Braverman says that Rwanda is a safe place to send asylum seekers, and that her policy is lawful: the Court of Appeal begs to differ. The court’s view has prevailed. That is how it should be.

As things stand, it seems likely that the government will seek leave to appeal to the Supreme Court. The judgment was split, and it is an obviously crucial matter of policy, involving the human rights of potentially many thousands of people.

Yet even here the government is not yet acting decisively even in its own interests – the matter is being considered internally. Even if the appeal is launched, it may take some time to be heard and determined, and in the meantime the Rwanda policy will be left in abeyance.

What’s more, the Illegal Migration Bill is also facing significant challenge, this time in the House of Lords. The government’s migration policy, at the centre of its offer to the electorate as we approach the next general election, is at best in doubt and close to disarray.

The promise that Mr Sunak made in his “priorities” speech in January to “pass new laws to stop small boats, making sure that if you come to this country illegally, you are detained and swiftly removed” certainly looks fairly sickly. He will not, safe to say, “stop the boats” by next year.

Similarly, the recent behaviour of Conservative MPs over the privileges committee’s inquiry into Mr Johnson doesn’t suggest that everyone in Mr Sunak’s party is fully signed up to his pledge on entering office that “this government will have integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level”. And stubborn inflation, soaring mortgage rates and a looming downturn have already placed Mr Sunak’s three economic targets in jeopardy.

As Sir Keir Starmer so unkindly put it at Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Sunak looks like he’s given up. That may be unfair on a hard-working and basically conscientious man, but time is running out for the prime minister to put his stamp on his government and his party, and light it up with an aura of competence and success.

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