Inside the battle for ‘trophy asset’ the Telegraph – and for the soul of Tory Britain

Traditional affinity between Conservatives and the newspaper has given way to a complex, splintered drama, and the attempted acquisition by Gulf-backed RedBird IMI lies in limbo

With the Conservative party trailing Labour by nearly 20 points in the polls, it needs all the help it can get if it is going to have a fighting chance at the next election.

So Downing Street strategists privately wonder why the Daily Telegraph - arguably the UK's most staunchly rightwing paper - is not being more supportive of Rishi Sunak in its coverage.