The pitfalls of Rishi Sunak’s premiership

If the government is going to turn a corner it needs to be bolder, prioritise the politics – and sell, sell, sell, writes Salma Shah

Sunak’s authority has been damaged, simply because he lacks institutional foresight (Parliament Live)

A refrain often heard in Westminster, when decisions need to be made, is, “you have to think about the politics”.

In a democratic system, people have to be persuaded – whether at the ballot box or the voting lobbies – and the role of the marketing team ultimately belongs to senior politicians. You can, of course, present facts and push the evidence, but people make political choices with more than a hint of emotion. Being too “clever” quite often goes against you.

It is, perhaps, why many Conservatives are starting to worry whether Rishi Sunak is really thinking about politics at all. He is doing the right things by bringing calm and competence – both of which were desperately needed – but there is no overarching message to the voters (apart from the fact that he is a departure from the chaos or revolutionary zeal of his predecessors).

Where is the sense of mission or vision for the future that would get potential voters to rally to the cause? The issue for Sunak appears to be that once you get the vision, you have to work out how to deliver it.

This week, the Institute for Government (IFG) launched its new academy. It is a place of learning for any minister, opposition MP or special adviser to serve almost as an apprentice in their trade. It is truly valuable, giving deep insights and institutional knowledge to those people lacking in depth of Whitehall’s history, and assisting wide-eyed ministers with their portfolios when other training is scarce.

I wonder what it could teach Rishi Sunak about the pitfalls of being PM? Let’s start with the obvious: governments often lose control of the news cycle. So it’s probably better to make a bold intervention soon, rather than having it dragged out of you.

He should have taken decisive action the moment Nadhim Zahawi was questioned about his tax arrangements, not waited to see if the problem might just go away by itself. His authority has been damaged – and it’s simply because he lacks institutional foresight; the ability to work through the steps and contingencies.

Perhaps the good people at the IFG can also suggest how to manage the sprawling responsibility that is Whitehall, and ensure your cabinet secretary is doing what he’s supposed to do. Getting a grip of the system is hard work, and unchecked PMs can begin to micro-manage, unable to take a step back and review things at a strategic distance. No 10 needs a high-level view of everything that’s happening, but also needs to empower departments through its secretaries of state to get on and deliver.

And there may even be cause for a short module on risk management – starting with curtailing one’s anxiety about the ever-constant threat of the blond bombshell landing. Boris Johnson’s visit to Ukraine won’t have gone unnoticed, and there is of course the low-level dread just waiting for him to pounce. But it’s counterproductive and is liable to force actions that are over-thought, which is likely to result in inaction.

The trick to good politics is good communication – which sounds easy until you realise how much work is involved in making the good news happen. Rishi Sunak is losing ground, and his party is becoming despondent with the unforced errors and the technocratic leadership when what they want is to be inspired. If the government is ever going to turn a corner it needs to be bolder, prioritise the politics, and sell, sell, sell.