The Conservatives appointed Rishi Sunak leader of the Tory party a little over a year ago, hoping he would rescue them from the mess his predecessors had made.
The economy was in terrible shape, public institutions and services were in chaos, and the NHS waiting lists were the highest they’d been at any point in the past 15 years. Opinion poll after opinion poll put these issues at the forefront of the British public’s concerns.
Immigration was also prominent in the polls, but in a more nuanced way than in earlier years. British attitudes towards migration have actually been improving: this year, for the first time, only a minority of people want immigration to be reduced. What continues to worry them is the issue of the small boats.
