Members of a focus group organized by UK More in Common for the Guardian described Sunak as “the money man” with a CV that proved he was the “best of a bad bunch” of Tory leadership candidates. “He looks capable and seems to have the ability to move it [Conservative] party forward,” said Steve, who questioned why the Tories did not vote for him in the first leadership election over his predecessor, Liz Truss. “Rishi is a money oriented guy. You would want someone who knows how to hold money and has the platform to change things without having an overbearing personality,” said Jurome, a 37-year-old delivery driver. But he feels desperate and fears for the country’s future because the government “knows it’s not doing a good job” and has developed policies to deal with the energy crisis that only help the richest. “We had someone who literally lived through a lettuce,” he said, referring to the Daily Star’s Liz Truss challenge. “It doesn’t fill the country with hope that things can actually get better. People like us who work relatively normal jobs are put in a state of flux because we have to worry about what our future looks like. There doesn’t seem to be any plan to get us out of this.” The five participants from mixed backgrounds used the words ‘chaotic’, ‘flux’, ‘failure’ and ‘uncertain’ to describe what Britain was like in 2022, placing much of the blame on Boris Johnson’s dishonesty and the ’emergence of Truss ». insisting they would not want Johnson back at No.10. Sales manager Westley, 43, said he is “not full of faith” in the Tory party, but throughout the Covid pandemic, “Rishi has been branded a hero with his campaign to keep people out of work”. He admitted he didn’t know many of the leadership candidates, but said: “Since Rishi has helped people during Covid with ‘eat out to help.’ [campaign] and keeping people at work during covid, he had great ideas to keep our pockets full. “None of the Tories can be fully trusted, but it seems like the obvious choice.” Laura fears Sunak “hasn’t been completely honest” about his family’s tax avoidance and while he “has the potential” to fix the country’s economy, he could end up leaving like Boris Johnson because of “his past”. “I don’t know why he wasn’t chosen in the first place. Perhaps there is much more to his story. Boris had Partygate, Cameron had Panama [offshore trust] scandal,” Steve added. In his first speech as prime minister, Sunak promised to earn the public’s trust with a government of “integrity, professionalism and accountability”, going on to say that “trust is earned and I will earn yours”. Paying tribute to Johnson for his “incredible achievements”, he was careful to emphasize that the 2019 mandate was for the whole Conservative party, not just Johnson. However, those voters in Sedgefield, which the Tories took from Labor in 2019 with a 12.8% swing, believe Sunak should call a general election as he was not voted in as prime minister at the time. The eldest of the group, Steve, felt betrayed and questioned why an election could not be held every time No 10 changed hands, adding: “Blair was our local MP for years. When he dropped out, Brown came in, but I didn’t vote for Brown. So I’m confused that we don’t hold elections when these people resign or are kicked out.” The youngest of the group, Josh, a 27-year-old engineer, felt that perhaps a general election was not needed, suggesting it is “better the devil you know”. But Laura insisted: “We voted for the party, not this real person, so they should have gone back to [public] with elections”. On Labour’s plan to help people in the coming crises: “I don’t think Keir Starmer is going to be able to do any of the things he says he’s going to do. I have no confidence that he can deliver from the impression he leaves and how he comes across,” Laura told the group. The younger members of the group, Jurome and Josh, said he is good at “pointing the finger” and calling the Tories out, but not good at setting his own plan. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. “He is in a position of power at the moment as he can clear things up. This gives us hope because at least there is someone out there who is holding people accountable on this level. But we don’t see what his solutions are.” Steve said he prefers Starmer’s deputy, Angela Rayner, and believes she will bide her time before trying again to run for Labor leader before the next general election:[Starmer] brings nothing new to politics. He is a professional politician.” Asked if there was anything Starmer could do or say to convince them to fully support him, no member of the team responded. Despite promises of a “serious” government, these voters still feel they can’t trust politicians. “I have completely lost faith in all types of politicians,” Steve said. “The Lib Dems have faded into obscurity after their deal with Cameron… selling their souls to the devil. Labor has too much baggage with Corbyn, which continues and now we have the invisible himself.” He insists Starmer is the invisible man waiting for “his moment in the sun”. “Ministers have been elected into health and education roles without seniority,” Laura said, while Westley added that he did not “feel safe” under any politician because everyone kept changing their political stances. “To be honest, I don’t know much about any of them. There have been a lot of empty promises recently… I don’t feel safe under anyone.” Luke Trill, director of More in Common, said: “When it came to who was responsible for the economic mess we are in, this group in Sedgefield laid the blame squarely at the government’s door. “Regaining their confidence won’t be easy. But the good news for Rishi Sunak was that they thought he was the best person to clean up the mess and they didn’t think anyone else, including Keir Starmer, would do a better job.”
