It bodes ill for Sunak that Tory MPs are alreadfy discussing his successor. Today’s Sunday Times are reporting that

Many [Tory] MPs expect to lose [the next general election], and people already wonder who they would support in the next leadership contest. Kemi Badenoch, the trade secretary, is the early favourite but allies say Jacob Rees-Mogg held a dinner before Christmas on the future of the right and is seriously contemplating running. The rump of Trussites are aligning behind Simon Clarke and Ranil Jayawardena as a team to fight for her libertarian pro-growth agenda.

If you hate the Tory Party and want to see it destroyed then you want Jacob Rees-Mogg to succeed Sunak. I can see a route for Rees-Mogg to win, so long as he makes the final two then he has a strong chance of winning with Tory members. It seems ominous for the Tory Party that a JRM leadership bid isn’t laughed at but seen as a possibility, we can put this down as another Brexit dividend.

I’m quite dismissive of Kemi Badenoch, if you want to understand her supporters just look in a dictionary for the definition of ‘projection’. There is a reality gap between what her supporters think of her and her political career so far.

As for receiving the backing of Truss and the Trussites that is a bit like receiving parenting advice from Josef Fritzl. Given how disastrously and short the Truss premiership was the Trussites might be best to keep their support quiet for any candidate quiet.

A usually solid tip when it comes to Tory leadership contests is to lay the favourite, if Kemi Badenoch is the early favourite then seasoned punters know what to do but what does it say about the Tory Party that the top four in the next leadership contest could be Boris Johnson, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Kemi Badenoch, and Simon Clarke?

TSE