Competence ought to be a given, not an ambition. Even if Rishi Sunak’s government provides stability, that is nowhere near enough for the country
s did coalesce around Mr Sunak, but picking him over Mr Johnson and Penny Mordaunt is hardly the stuff of Solomon. The fissures in the party run deep and in many directions. The new prime minister is still regarded with suspicion by some for his role in bringing down Mr Johnson. Members of the Eurosceptic right are drawing lines in the sand over Northern Ireland’s trading arrangements with the European Union.
And this is before the real pain bites. On November 17th Mr Hunt is due to lay out a medium-term plan that will combine tax rises and spending cuts. Although Ms Truss’s tax cuts have been systematically undone and the fall in gilt yields has helped bring down the government’s debt-interest costs, a £30bn-40bn fiscal hole remains to be filled.
Another bout of Tory infighting would make the case for an early general election unarguable. If the malcontents stay quiet, the Sunak government may usher in a period of calm. A credible fiscal plan would mean lower interest rates than would otherwise have been the case. Thoughtful policies on skills and investment, two of the big platforms for economic growth, could make a real difference.
This is a tragedy in itself. Expectations have been so reduced that not imploding is seen as the mark of a grown-up. Ms Truss is not responsible for all that ails Britain. The dysfunction in government, the years of insipid growth, the inability to talk honestly about the costs of Brexit and the failings of the National Health Service—these problems all have deep roots. But she still seems unaware of how badly things went.