Is it too late for Sunak to fall on his sword? Matthew Parris in Times

[Westfacing]

Matthew Parris is pondering whether the Tories could have another leader before the election!

A bit far-fetched... surely? But then again...

Is it too late for Sunak to fall on his sword? (thetimes.com)

I always assumed this was his reason.
He very obviously doesn't give two shits about the UK

whatever you think of Margaret Thatcher she will still go down in history as the UKs first female PM

Whatever you think of Sunak he will still go down in history as the UKs first Asian/Hindu PM

Unelected and frankly contemptuous of the country it would also seem. Every single PM of whatever political complexion has, except for this man, been able to recognise the significance of D Day. He didn’t. I reckon that is real legacy

I doubt he’ll attend.

He’s also likely to go down as the PM who presided over the biggest general election loss for 100 years.

The leader of the Green Party isn’t an MP so it is possible. Unusual for a larger party though.

I don't think the Cons (or Lab for that matter) have a mechanism for replacing the party leader when parliament is not in session. If Sunak resigned, it's now too late to be removed from the ballot for Richmond and it's unclear who the party leadership would default to (potentially Oliver Dowden).

I think he and they have to suck it up until after July 4th, and either he loses his seat and they're forced to find a new leader, or he resigns his seat and triggers a leadership contest.

Rulebooks may be rewritten after this election..

He won’t need to lose his seat to resign as leader. My bet is that his resignation letter as Tory leader, dated 5 July, is already in his top drawer.

My God, that article! An actual robot had more common sense, political nous and, more importantly, empathy, than Rishi Sunak! And that written by someone who previously supported him. It's devastating.

Never mind the Tories replacing him, I actually think someone close to him needs to stage an intervention and get him to step down. I can't stand him, but that interview where he just robotically repeats himself over and over: 'I attended the Bridish events...my schedule is set in advance...that was a mistake...' like it was on a loop was deeply uncomfortable to watch. I am not sorry for him, but that was not normal and it needs putting to a stop in my opinion. I read on Twitter he is campaigning today but there will be no press interview and no national media questions permitted. How does that even work? He needs to stop now.

But the reason he's not doing it ahead of 5th July is because there is currently no Parliamentary Party to appoint a successor.

The robotic repetition cited by @stripycats is because normally politicians get asked the same question in the hope of getting a racier, more exasperated or compromising response. They then use the best one - so Sunak is dodging that ruse by sticking to his pre-prepared answer. However, if the interviewer is being bitchy, they can expose this by simply showing the entire segment where the politician is shown repeating themselves. I think Ed Miliband fell for this one, or was stitched up in this way, at a previous election.
It's telling because you wouldn't do this to someone unless they were really on the ropes and you could afford to be sadistic, with no comeback.

Otherwise, Sunak standing down would put the UK in an odd position because really who is in charge should there be an international incident? I'd argue Sunak would be better placed than any of the stand-ins doing a bit of holiday cover.
It's rare we've had so many leaders in a row who in their own way were so tone-deaf regards either the country or the party, or both.

The leader of the Green Party isn’t an MP so it is possible. Unusual for a larger party though.

oh yes of course, and Reform, may that continue!

We don’t know why, do we? Presumably his deputy would step in. There must be a plan, what would happen if he died?

Yes, I get that @NewspaperTaxis but the scary thing was that it never got racier or more exaggerated or anything. It was just exactly the same every time he said it. It was robotic to the point where I thought is he a robot?

It's weird because if he stood down, the only time it would actually matter would be, as you say, if there was an international incident, but if it was anything remotely important to us as a nation I would not want him dealing with it. I don't think he's capable and I don't think he cares. I would want some sort of emergency government of national unity put him place with him nominally in change but others (Starmer) having a massive input. Hypothetical obviously, but he can't presume to lead the country now.

Look at all the contracts companies associated with his in-laws and their friends have been awarded. This is why )I reckon)

I’m deeply suspicious of all these shenanigans tbh.
Sunak is theoretically an intelligent man (maybe not emotionally). Went to Oxbridge, highflying banking job with I guess, responsibility. Why on earth is he making these ludicrous decisions and statements?
I’m starting to think there’s a plot against him. Deliberately being advised wrongly. For all we know he may have wanted to stay behind at the D Day ceremony. It’s almost as if his SPADs are Labour or Lib Dem infiltrators it’s that bad.
The fact that the right wing media is turning against him is telling, particularly the Spectator which slated him the other day. Even Tim Montgomerie who runs Conservative home is putting the boot in. My suspicion is that they want Farage as leader. Rees Mogg has already said he’s no concerns about this. I’m worried there’ll be a deal. A voting pact and somehow Farage will come out on top. Remember that Reform UK policies (what there are of them) are a wet dream for some, very similar to Truss’ plans.

I’m starting to think there’s a plot against him. Deliberately being advised wrongly. For all we know he may have wanted to stay behind at the D Day ceremony

It's coming out that his original plan was to not attend at all, and the UK would be represented by the royals and Cameron as FS. If there's a conspiracy it has to be inside his inner circle.

The easier conclusion is that he has absolutely no political awareness at all, and he's just a turtle on a fencepost.

Tories happy to drown their young. No qualms about doing a deal with Farage.

You’ve just jumped the shark.

K@Diefrausagtnein I agree it's like he's working for the other sides

What's more concerning is all these people make me decisions for us.

I can think of one who would definitely jump at the chance, and the Tories like her.
I can think of one who would probably be able to step into the job but he's not an elected MP.
Jeremic would probably be the one who'd be called on to stand in.

I don't think the SPADs are infiltrators, they would not plan some of the things that have happened for fear of being unmasked.

Nigel Farage needs to be elected as an MP for any chance of being other than the Reform Party owner/dictator.

Ironic that he will be, forever and a day, at The Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday along with Johnson and Truss.

I agree with a PP that he won't attend. Ever.

It'll sting a bit this year, but then just become another "thing" we associate him with. Like child poverty, freeing rapists and being helicoptered everywhere.

Yeah, I mean look at the turncoat MPs of late. Farage can of course get elected as a Reform candidate, nothing to stop him switching to become a Tory MP once he gets there - this possibility should be put to him during the campaign to see how he commits himself. Anyway, if after two months he says, right, I think I'll become a Tory and take my Reform MPs with me, yes, you could have a coup on your hands, all above board. I suppose it would be hard to work that with the leadership schedule seeing as it's a given that Sunak will step down immediately but if Sunak doesn't, Farage has a way in.

With some of his advisors, I guess if they see Sunak as a lame duck then nobody feels they have to save him from himself. Mistakes do crop up because it's such an overworked position.

Apples and oranges.

Much as I despise Thatcher (but I have some good things to say about her) it is incontrovertible that she lead the Tories to an election win, and as leader was PM.

Sunak did not. He inherited the ice cream cone that was the premiership in a grubby MPs-only fuckfest and has been watching it melt away ever since.

Boris Johnson won Sunaks "victory".

And in 300 years, the history book entry for Sunak will be a montage of the last week. Hopefully with the grinning LibDems gaily sailing upstream behind him as the illustration to "public perception".