As Boris Johnson falters, Rishi Sunak keeps his eye on the prize

The prime minister has hit turbulence in public opinion, writes John Rentoul, and the chancellor is being terribly supportive

Sunak remains popular with Tory MPs and party members (HM Treasury)

There are two main reasons ministers write letters to each other. One is that they want to persuade their colleague by setting out their argument. The other is that they want the letter to appear on the front page of The Sunday Times to advertise their view to their party and the nation.

Given that Boris Johnson agrees with Rishi Sunak that travel ought to be opened up, and given that the chancellor’s letter to the prime minister urging him to open up travel did indeed appear on the front page of The Sunday Times at the weekend, all the evidence is pointing towards motive two in this case.

The chancellor also gave an interview to LinkedIn News yesterday in which he repeated the prime minister’s known views about how valuable it is for “young people in particular” to be at work in an office. “Go back to the office if you want to get on” is not quite as snappy as “Eat out to help out”, but we get the message.