H ow would you feel if you woke up on 5 July and you had to have another five years of Tory rule? It is a highly potent question. We conclude it would not be good for Britain. It is not quite an iron rule, but political parties that have been in power for a prolonged period eventually run out of ideas, talent and energy – and can collapse into a spiral of corruption.
The latest election betting scandal is embarrassing and damaging to the Conservative campaign because, although novel, it is entirely consistent behaviour from a government that brought us Partygate , among many other severe lapses in the standards we expect in public life. It is this sense of betrayal that is driving the national mood for change. At the outset of the general election campaign, Labour chose this single word to be its slogan .
It could not be more succinct, nor better capture the mood of the nation as we face the future. The least a country can expect from those in power is a degree of integrity . And when he became prime minister in October 2022, Rishi Sunak promised exactly that, declaring that the government he was to lead would demonstrate “integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level”.
He added: “Trust is earned. And I will earn yours.” Sadly, there have been too many failures on the part of the prime minister and his colleagues to say that he did indeed earn sufficient trust to justify another term in office.
It is only fair to add that Mr Sunak inherited an unenvia.