‘It’s the inauthenticity’: has Rishi Sunak blown his No 10 chance?

Once the frontrunner for next Tory leader, Sunak has been written off by some as politically naive

There has been an uneasy consensus among Conservative MPs that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has meant Boris Johnson is saved from a leadership challenge.

But there is also a whispered agreement that there is another factor keeping Johnson in No 10 - the fast disintegration of Rishi Sunak's reputation as a viable alternative. Tory MPs who spoke to the Guardian said they believed his chances of becoming prime minister were now minimal.