What kind of legacy does Rishi Sunak want to leave behind?
Outgoing British governments can bequeath a total mess or embed their preferences
In British politics, last impressions count. Governments are remembered as much for how they leave office as for how they arrived. With a 20-point deficit in the polls, both Rishi Sunak, the prime minister, and Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, know that they are probably doomed. Running an outgoing government mixes immense responsibility with immense temptations. Cynical ministers merely make life harder for incoming governments; canny ones embed their preferences so their politics long outlives them. The choice is a simple one: to wreck or to ratchet.
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This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “To wreck or to ratchet? ”
Britain November 25th 2023
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- What kind of legacy does Rishi Sunak want to leave behind?
From the November 25th 2023 edition
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