Rishi Sunak is winning his arm-wrestling contest with Boris Johnson

Sunak’s strong performance in recent weeks has killed the prospect of Johnson mounting a coup and remarkable comeback before the general election, writes Andrew Grice

Sunak now has a cushion against expected Conservative losses in the May local elections (Reuters)

It was a good week for the prime minister and a bad one for his predecessor-but-one.

A Johnson-led revolt by Eurosceptics against Sunak’s deal with the EU fizzled out and Johnson’s very uncomfortable hearing before the Commons Privileges Committee leaves him in deep trouble over claims he lied to parliament over Partygate.

Sunak’s strong performance in recent weeks and Johnson’s woes have killed the prospect of Johnson mounting a coup and remarkable comeback before the general election. Crucially, Sunak now has a cushion against expected Conservative losses in the May local elections in England, which Johnson’s fan club hoped would provide his springboard.