The chancellor emerged from the pandemic as the candidate of sincerity. Today we saw he is as shallow and cynical as Johnson
There is a pattern according to which the Conservative party chooses its leaders as the antidote to their predecessor. Theresa May was the stolid answer to David Cameron’s flimsiness; Boris Johnson promised to be a daredevil where May had been dour.
On that principle, Rishi Sunak had positioned himself as the candidate of sincerity and competence, Boris Johnson being the opposite of those qualities incarnate. When the prime minister looked close to being toppled during the “partygate” scandal, the chancellor’s support was tepid.
Rafael Behr is a Guardian columnist
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