Why Rishi Sunak's doom-plagued stint as prime minister was always destined to end like this

Rishi Sunak has conceded he is toast, announcing he will bring an end to a leadership plagued with desperation and doom hanging over it from the very get-go.

Addressing the nation on Friday from outside Downing Street, Mr Sunak apologised to the country and his party after he led the Conservatives to their worst-ever election result. “I have given this job my all, but you have sent a clear signal that the Government of the United Kingdom must change,” he said. “And yours is the only judgment that matters.”

When Mr Sunak finally grasped the keys to Downing Street in October 2022, he was almost destined to bring more than a decade of Conservative power to a close. For Mr Sunak, a lot of damage to the party’s reputation had been done long before he became PM. But more carnage was caused after he entered office.

During the election campaign, Mr Sunak has been quick to highlight that he opposed the disastrous mini-budget under Liz Truss the SNP and Labour still point to as tanking the economy. Mr Sunak shies away from, however, mentioning that he lost out to Ms Truss in the leadership contest that enabled her tiny, but significant stint in Downing Street.

Mr Sunak has struggled to shrug off that starting point as having lost out to a prime minister in Ms Truss regarded by most people as a complete disaster.

When he entered office, Mr Sunak’s eyes were on this election - it was his chance to become a winner, but the task looked bleak. In hindsight, barring a Labour catastrophe that has never looked like happening, Mr Sunak turning things around for the Tories was pretty much impossible.

Partygate, when Mr Sunak himself was fined by the police for breaching his own government’s rules, drove a wedge in the polls between Labour and the Conservatives, with the two parties pulled apart under Ms Truss and her economic turmoil. But Mr Sunak will have to take some of the blame for his disastrous and humiliating election result.

Mr Sunak put his reputation on the line with his economic pledges. The linchpin of his five promises made to the British public in January last year was to halve inflation that had spiralled out of control, no thanks to his predecessor. But despite inflation being cut, people are still noticing the price of goods increasing.

He jumped at the chance to call the general election when inflation had shrunk to 2.3 per cent, believing it was proof he had sorted out the economy. But the gaping problem was Mr Sunak’s belief the rate of inflation was the headline was completely out of touch with the frustrated general public. To a lot of people, nothing has improved and his party is first in line for the blame.

Mr Sunak also vowed to grow the economy, but the economy grew by only 0.1 per cent during 2023, while he also failed in pledges to reduce debt, cut long waits in the NHS in England and “stop the boats” - playing into the hands of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party.

When he set out the promises, Mr Sunak declared: “I fully expect you to hold my government and I to account on delivering those goals." The British people have done just that.

Mr Sunak’s two years in office can be described as a constant battle. And like Ms Truss, Boris Johnson, Theresa May and David Cameron, it is difficult to define his legacy other than by how it ended.

He had very little room to bring forward policies that would have given him a sense of achievement.

Mr Sunak’s plans to essentially end the sale of cigarettes was a bold public health idea that had cross-party support. It could have been his defining positive moment. But his rush to call the election and the disastrous campaign that followed put a stop to that.

With so few tangible positives to grab onto, focus must turn to Mr Sunak’s shambolic and, at times excruciating, election campaign. Former prime minister Gordon Brown’s legacy is partly defined as his “bigoted woman” moment during the 2010 election campaign. But it is difficult to draw a comparison to Mr Sunak - simply because there are far too many to choose from.

Mr Sunak will likely be remembered for his bizarre announcement of the election in the soaking rain, the flawed National Service plans, leaving D-Day commemorations early and having his candidates embroiled in a gambling scandal.

Douglas Ross’s implosion of the Scottish Conservative leadership further compounded a truly dismal election campaign for the Tories - surely one of the worst in living memory from a party of government.

In the final full week of campaigning, the Scottish Tories launched their manifesto - a wish-list of devolved policies that cannot be implemented by their leader, who is also on his way out the door. Mr Sunak was in Edinburgh to give what everyone knew would be his final address in Scotland as prime minister.

The mood, particularly from Mr Sunak, was glum. No-one noticed when he entered the room to deliver his keynote address - the aura of someone important being there had vanished. In the Q&A with the Scottish press, Mr Sunak stuffed his face with pastries while answering questions and the only person to say “bless you” when he sneezed was Mr Ross. It was a throwback to a shambolic and badly-handled first Scottish Tory conference that saw journalists openly row with Mr Sunak’s officials over access.

Mr Sunak had told The Scotsman it was “actually quite easy” to keep going “when you are fighting for something you believe in”.

He put on a brave face and insisted he would “fight very hard until the last day”. That last day has now been and gone.