In the second episode of a two-part series examining the legacy of 14 years of Conservative rule in the UK, Jonathan Freedland and Helen Pidd lay out the chaos that followed David Cameron’s departure from Downing Street.
Cameron’s reign ended abruptly in the summer of 2016, when his gamble to hold a referendum on EU membership backfired and the UK voted to leave. He retired to his shepherd’s hut in his garden to write his memoirs and a period of mayhem began.
The king of chaos was arguably Boris Johnson, who barely had time to celebrate his landslide victory in the winter of 2019 before a global pandemic forced him to lock down the country. He imposed strict restrictions on the rest of us but neglected to follow the rules himself. Liz Truss became PM, only to be outlasted by an iceberg lettuce.
And now, with just a few days before the country goes to the polls, Rishi Sunak’s campaign is being overshadowed by allegations that a stream of Tory insiders placed bets on the date of the election.
Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA
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