Tories willing to cut Rishi Sunak some slack but same tough choices remain

If chosen as PM, Sunak would face a dire inheritance and a narrow window to turn things around

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More than 150 Conservative MPs have come to view Rishi Sunak as their saviour from the threatened return of a scandal-mired Boris Johnson. But when Sunak was at his lowest point this year, after revelations about his family's tax affairs, some of his closest supporters were unsure whether he really wanted to be prime minister - or was even that committed to his then job as chancellor.

The scrutiny on the family took its toll and they moved out of Downing Street for some breathing space. Some aides wondered at the time whether Sunak would give up his seat at the next election for a return to his old life in California.