By Abhishek Khajuria

So, the results are out and the inevitable, which was staring in the face of observers for a few weeks, is the reality. Rishi Sunak, the ex-Chancellor of the Exchequer of the UK has lost to Foreign Secretary Liz Truss in the race to become the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the next Conservative Party leader.

Sunak had topped all the rounds in the voting of Conservative MPs to trim down the list of the PM hopefuls. However, the contest with Truss, when taken to the members of the Conservative Party at the grassroots (which number somewhere around 1,75,000), pushed the scales decisively in favour of the former Remainer turned Brexiteer. Out of 1,42,433 votes cast, 654 were rejected as invalid. Out of the remaining, Truss achieved around 57.4% while Sunak got 42.6%.It proved to be a relatively close contest in contrast to what many opinion polls had shown. Truss was shown to be leading by at least 30% in many of those.

Both the candidates did their best to impress voters by asserting themselves to be Thatcherites at core, but it is the daughter of the anti-Thatcher protestors who now takes over the reins at 10, Downing Street as the darling of the Conservatives.

Had Sunak reached the top job, he would have been the first British-Indian (or British-Asian as the Britons like it to call) to be the PM. He would also have been the second from ethnic minorities to become so after Benjamin Disraeli (who was Jewish) and first non-white as well. Sunak’s competent handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK earned him millions of admirers and the nickname ‘Dishy Rishi’. The relief package and the furlough scheme which helped save jobs, especially of those working in the small and medium enterprises, were feathers in Sunak’s cap. Very-well articulated and nicely dressed,quickly, he came to be seen as the most likely successor to Johnson despite his political inexperience. Hence, it is important to investigate or at least, ponder upon the reasons for him being unable to make a successful run to the coveted post (for which, he described himself as an ‘underdog’).

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There are indeed a number of reasons but to begin with, we need to look at the Partygate scandal. The revelations which constituted a political disaster for outgoing PM Boris Johnson, gave Sunak’s image a beating. It came to light that he also took part in the protocol-breaking parties and consequently, was fined as well. It didn’t sit very well with the public that when it was being exhorted to stay at home, follow the rules stringently, those in power were flouting them.

A bigger fiasco happened when it became public that his wife Akshata Murty (daughter of Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murthy) had avoided paying taxes to the tune of 20 million Pounds due to her non-domiciled status in the UK. This happened after Sunak had raised taxes seen as high by historical standards.There was (and still is) a cost of living crisis due to which inflation has hovered around double-digits. The people saw it as a blatant hypocrisy where common people had to pay higher taxes while the elites continued to escape the tax net in one way or the other. Though Sunak could have dealt with the issue easily, his political inexperience may very well have been the factor which cost him.Associated with this has been the perception that Sunak is perhaps out of touch with the hardships of the common people due to his upper-class upbringing, education at the posh Winchester College and his super-rich status amounting to more than 730 million Pounds along with his wife in contrast to Truss who projected her image as being the opposite.Though this argument can be contested easily, perceptions do matter in politics and that is what the results explain. The out of touch tag was also used when he repeatedly mentioned California as a place where he would like to start a career as a young graduate. This reportedly was not seen favourably by those at the grassroots. Him maintaining an American Green Card which he returned only in October 2021 also didn’t do him any favours.

Talking of the campaign, the ex-Chancellor staunchly held on to his stance that he wouldn’t cut taxes until inflation was under control. This argument made economic sense as immediate tax cuts in a scenario of double-digit inflation could very well lead to inflation further skyrocketing. However, almost all his competitors in the preliminary rounds and Truss during the hustings around the country promised immediate tax cuts. Sunak’s message though was understood by economists and many of those in the Commons, its logic didn’t reach to the grassroots Tory members who yearned for more cash in their pockets and they sided with the populist measures announced by Truss. When you promise the public what they demand, it is a no-brainer that they would side with you. Later, Sunak was also forced to announce plans for a tax cut, though, in a longer run, by the end of the 2020s. This didn’t find any favour with those wanting immediate relief and on the flipside; he might very well have left his supporters confused.

Another very important factor has been what I would call the ‘Boris Johnson effect’. Johnson had blamed the ‘herd mentality’ for his downfall. The herd was led by none other than Sunak. Earlier seen as a Johnson loyalist, it was actually Sunak’s resignation which spelled the end of Johnson’s tenure. Johnson still remains very popular among the Tory rank and file, many of whom have seen Sunak as being disloyal to Johnson and even, a back-stabber. On top of that, it is no secret that Johnson has instructed all his supporters to vote for anyone but Sunak which might have led to a lot of votes from the grassroots slipping from his grasp. On the other hand, throughout her campaign, Truss held on to Johnson tightly and reaped the rewards.

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An elephant in the room which needs to be addressed when assessing Sunak’s failed leadership bid is racism. Though Sunak had very early in the race dismissed the claim that the reason he was falling behind to Truss in the opinion polls was racism. His repeated emphasis was that it was the merit that would decide the ultimate outcome. While the latter argument remains largely true, can the former be discarded so easily? Racism is not a hidden secret of British society and its destabilising effects on society have been acknowledged from time to time.

Prof. Bhaswati Sarkar, Chairperson of the Centre for European Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, says that, “Britain is still very far from its own Obama moment”.This becomes even more pertinent in the case of the Torymembership which is seen as consisting of those having problematic views when it comes to race and multiculturalism.This argument in favour of racism being a factor assumes even more credence when the earlier opinion polls of Tory members are taken into account. When voting was taking place among the Conservative MPs only and still to go to the grassroots, Sunak was still being seen as second best in most of them even when Penny Mordaunt was the most likely candidate to come against him in the ultimate face-off and Truss was consistently third in the votes by the Conservative MPs. Surely, only tax cuts wouldn’t be the deciding factor. Though there would never be a definitive answer if racism was a defining factor, one would be pretty sceptical to deny the impact.

When compared to Sunak, Truss was seen as more identifiable with the Tory grassroots. Her economic policies in addition to the tax cuts, also appealed more to the rank and file of the party. Along with that, her longer experience than Sunak of working in the Cabinet also seems to have tipped the balance in her favour.

So, what’s the way ahead for ‘Dishy Rishi’? Still only 42, Sunak is likely to remain on the scene for the foreseeable future as he has also indicated. He has said that he will continue to serve his constituency of Richmond and keep supporting the Conservative government and has also exhorted his supporters to unite behind Truss.While Truss has publicly said that she would want Sunak to be a part of her team, whether he accepts the offer (if made ultimately), is unclear at the moment. Leadership ambitions are unlikely to subside anytime soon especially if the Tory ship sinks under the command of Truss in the general elections slated for 2024.

Author is a PhD Candidate at the Centre for European Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

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