As the nearest thing in British politics to an American-style presidential primary, the Conservative leadership election does at least give the Tory membership and the wider public an opportunity to see how their prospective prime minister will perform under pressure. It is not encouraging.
Both Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss have been prone to sub-Johnsonian stunts, the terrible virus of “cakeism”, and plain old-fashioned gaffes. Of the pair, Sunak’s have been the more minor and forgivable. His plan to charge £10 for missed GP appointments is clearly the kind of counterproductive gimmicky idea that, if it had any merit, would have been implemented decades before. His unfortunate confession to an audience in prosperous Tunbridge Wells that he dismantled Labour-inspired rules aimed at improving the lot of the inner-city poor should have been a plea on behalf of the many pockets of poverty in the otherwise wealthy shires and market towns of the south and southwest of England. Places such as Clacton or the less favoured districts of Gloucestershire, for example, have much in common with depressed towns in the north of England, Blackpool or the “left behind” bits of County Durham. In reality, of course, Tory ministers have been engaging in a certain amount of pork barrel politics and blatant electoral bribery in marginal seats; but the basic point that “levelling up” is more complex than it looks still stands.
But at least Sunak has had the honesty to confront his party and the country with some tough choices about energy bills and public services – and the pernicious nature of inflation. Trussonomics may be thought of as the social science wing of cakeism – the idea that unfunded tax cuts and public spending can avoid both recession and beat inflation, and all within a two-year electoral time horizon.
