The pitfalls of Rishi Sunak’s premiership

If the government is going to turn a corner it needs to be bolder, prioritise the politics – and sell, sell, sell, writes Salma Shah

Sunak’s authority has been damaged, simply because he lacks institutional foresight (Parliament Live)

A refrain often heard in Westminster, when decisions need to be made, is, “you have to think about the politics”.

In a democratic system, people have to be persuaded – whether at the ballot box or the voting lobbies – and the role of the marketing team ultimately belongs to senior politicians. You can, of course, present facts and push the evidence, but people make political choices with more than a hint of emotion. Being too “clever” quite often goes against you.

It is, perhaps, why many Conservatives are starting to worry whether Rishi Sunak is really thinking about politics at all. He is doing the right things by bringing calm and competence – both of which were desperately needed – but there is no overarching message to the voters (apart from the fact that he is a departure from the chaos or revolutionary zeal of his predecessors).