Everything seems to be going wrong for Rishi Sunak

Life must seem bleak for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak these days.

Life must seem bleak for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak these days. With just two weeks until local elections that will likely go badly for his governing Conservative Party, there is a growing sense that Sunak is a man to whom the epithet “in office but not in power” applies. Sunak has confirmed that he will hold a general election this year, but has yet to confirm its date. Received wisdom is that he is hanging on as long as possible to avoid a catastrophic loss that could force his party into a decade of political irrelevance. The assumption is that the longer he leaves it, the better the chance he can turn public opinion around. The problem for Sunak is that everything he does seems to backfire in some way. Take an example from this week: his world-leading smoking ban, which, if approved by parliament’s upper house, will be a key part of his political legacy. It was only voted through by MPs because it has the support of the opposition Labour Party. Members of his own cabinet – mostly those considered to be eyeing up his job – voted against the legislation. His two predecessors publicly ridiculed him. Former PM Boris Johnson told a Canadian audience: “The party of Winston Churchill wants to ban [cigars]? Donnez-moi un break, as they say in Quebec. It’s just mad.”