Boris Johnson seemed to take it as a given that that was his last Prime Minister's Questions, perhaps even as an MP, since he is determined to have a Resignation Honours List, and no one would put it past him to ennoble himself. And when Johnson said that his successor might be elected by acclamation, then he could have had only one possible candidate in mind.
This was always going to be Rishi Sunak's moment. The disappearance of Middle Classes: Their Rise and Sprawl from BBC iPlayer is a track-covering confirmation that, since it was broadcast when he was not quite 21, Sunak must have been handpicked as the generational voice of the haute bourgeoisie when he was still in his teens. Yesterday, the tribal elders of the Tory Deep State were out in force at his campaign launch. A few hours later, needing 20 votes to stay in the race, he turned out to be 20 votes ahead of his nearest rival.
It has ever been thus. No one becomes Prime Minister in his early forties by any means than this. There are still those who keep up the pretence that Tony Blair was politically "a late developer", but it is quite some late developer who becomes an MP at 30 and Prime Minister at 43, the age at which David Cameron also attained the Premiership, in his case after a mere nine years in the House of Commons. Sunak would beat all of that, though. An MP of only seven years' standing, he is all of 42 years old.
Who do you think is the next one, being groomed now?
ReplyDeleteI have no idea. But I know that he exists.
DeleteAsked to autograph Durham Miners' Gala programmes, asked to endorse candidates to lead huge trade unions, old ladies kissing your hand after Mass, young couples asking you to bless their children, young men asking you before they try and become priests, young men asking you before they try and become MPs, you're a fine one to talk about the tribal elders of a Deep State. What do you think you are?
ReplyDeleteEach of the first four of those has happened only once to date.
DeleteWhich tribe, and which State?