The challenge for Rishi Sunak’s government is unique. It has two years until the next election, a multibillion-pound fiscal black hole and a myriad of problems, any one of which would be enough to alarm a government in normal times.
Even Matt Hancock’s decision to fly off to the jungle, the Westminster comedy story of the week, illustrates a serious problem for No 10. Hancock has been an MP since 2010 and was in the cabinet for three years. But he has taken the view that if he is not at the top table, he may as well do his own thing, even if he loses the whip.
