When Rishi Sunak came to power one year ago today, both the markets and the Conservative Party were in convulsions after the chaotic tenure of Liz Truss. Sunak steadied the ship, in part simply by not being Truss. But he swiftly demonstrated he was more than that.
In his first months in office, the Prime Minister secured the Windsor Framework, lancing the boil (at least for now) of the Northern Ireland Protocol. He signed the Aukus nuclear submarine partnership with the United States and Australia, bolstering the West’s defensive capabilities. And he clinched a deal with French president Emmanuel Macron to attempt to tackle the small boats crisis. The problem Sunak encountered was that the polls did not seem to shift. So he did.
Following the Uxbridge by-election, in which the Tories held on to Boris Johnson’s old seat in large part thanks to opposition to the Ulez expansion, the emphasis markedly changed to finding dividing lines with Labour — most notably on net zero. Recently he has parroted his predecessor on the need for fundamental change. It is a difficult sell when his party has been in power for more than a decade.
Sunak is at his best when he is problem-solving. It is trite at this point to suggest that Sir Keir Starmer is yet to seal the deal with the British electorate, but it is true. By-election victories are one thing, turning around Labour from its worst defeat since 1935 into the party of government requires all manner of political headwinds.
If inflation continues on its downward trajectory and splits within the Opposition start to emerge, it is not impossible for Sunak to take advantage. In order to do that, he has to remain on the field, fighting for middle-ground votes in London and across the country.
Ticket to ride
The one-day Travelcard, once seemingly headed for retirement as an exhibit at the London Transport Museum, has been saved. In July, Mayor Sadiq Khan had begun the six-month process of withdrawing from the Travelcard agreement, which he said cost Transport for London £40 million a year in lost fares.
But TfL has struck a deal with rail companies to retain the ticket, which provides train passengers with unlimited travel on the capital’s Tube and bus network. There is a sting in the tail. Its cost will rise by a one-off level of roughly three per cent next March, in addition to the annual fares rise, to fund the new deal.
The one-day Travelcard may not be as exciting as contactless, but it is an invaluable way of attracting visitors to come to London on public transport. Its survival is hugely welcome.
