Talk of successors undermines the Prime Minister’s authority and paints a picture among party members of a lame duck leader
This could be Rishi Sunak’s last party conference before the general election, so he arrived in Manchester hoping to forge unity among his MPs ready for the long campaign ahead.
Instead, he has found several of his most senior ministers using it as a platform to burnish their own leadership credentials in the expectation that his job will be up for grabs next year.
Suella Braverman and Kemi Badenoch, two of the most talked about potential candidates, both used eve of conference newspaper interviews to bolster support for their agendas. Supporters of Penny Mordaunt, Claire Coutinho, Gillian Keegan and Dame Priti Patel also see the conference as an opportunity to talk up their chances.
For Mr Sunak, talk of successors not only undermines his authority, but also paints a picture among party members and the public at large of a lame duck leader.