Antony Seldon, a renowned biographer of Britain's last eight consecutive prime ministers, has recently expressed his disillusionment with the current political landscape. In his assessment, Boris Johnson, the winner of the 2019 general election, was deemed 'awful,' while Liz Truss was labeled as 'hopeless' yet 'destructive and fascinating.'
When evaluating Rishi Sunak's performance compared to his predecessors, Seldon identified two key shortcomings: a lack of vision and inexperience. Sunak's leadership style was characterized as 'miniaturist,' with a focus on niche policies such as placing chess boards in parks, promoting math education, and implementing smoking bans.
Unlike Johnson's infrastructure-centric approach or Truss's libertarian economic stance, Sunak's preference for tight fiscal policies led Seldon to liken him to a 'Hooverite.' However, the biographer struggled to identify a cohesive strategy or overarching vision in Sunak's governance.
Seldon highlighted Sunak's tendency to cancel existing projects, such as a high-speed train initiative and climate change commitments, rather than introducing significant policy changes of his own. This approach, coupled with Sunak's rapid ascent to power just seven years after entering Parliament, raised concerns about his lack of experience and comprehensive understanding of governmental functions.
According to Seldon, Sunak's interests in science, AI, and finance are evident, but his narrow focus and absence of a comprehensive governmental agenda have left his premiership feeling 'micro' in scope. The biographer emphasized that Sunak's leadership style lacks a unifying theory or clear project for governance.
