Rish! seems determined to achieve total humiliation. This isn’t politics, it’s art | John Crace

Marina Abramovi would flinch at the pain the prime minister is inflicting on himself in pursuit of his self-destructive project

For some time now it's been obvious that Rishi Sunak really doesn't want to be prime minister any more. You can see it in his body language. Defeat hangs heavy around his shoulders. Despair etched into the lines on his face. He is desperate for it all to end. Then he can be shot of the lot of us. Kiss goodbye to us miserable ingrates and take his millions off to California.

But credit where credit is due. No one can accuse Rish! of not putting the hours in. He has gone well beyond the call of duty. The efforts to ensure his self-destruction have become almost superhuman. His commitment to the cause total. He will stick at nothing until his failure is complete. All hope of recovery vanquished. In this he has almost reached the status of a performance artist. Marina Abramovi is nothing on Sunak. She would have flinched long ago. The greater the self-inflicted pain, the nobler the victory.