The scandal-hit Tories are at their lowest point – but things can still get worse

Editorial: Rishi Sunak is unable to erase the dismal legacy he inherited but his own misjudgements have exacerbated the problem

19 April 2024 (Dave Brown)

The Conservatives seem set on turning 2024 into a record-breaking year for themselves – but not in a good way.

In one sense, they have already plumbed depths that have eluded previous Tory administrations in their dog days. The final phase of the Conservative administration that fell from power in 1964 was hit by some spectacular scandals, the most celebrated of which remains the Profumo affair, which combined claims of Russian espionage with the public exposure of the swinging ways of the British upper classes.

John Major’s government was critically weakened by a seemingly never-ending and bizarre episode of unconventional – and indeed improbable – sexual adventurism quite at odds with what the public took to be his “back to basics” agenda. (Major’s own lapse in fidelity was only revealed after he’d left office – a small mercy for all concerned.)