Rishi Sunak, Scion of Britain’s New Ruling Class
In December 2019, nearly 14 million people voted for Boris Johnson to become prime minister of Britain. Last month, 140,000 Tory members voted for Liz Truss to succeed him. And today, the support of 195 Conservative members of Parliament was enough to install Rishi Sunak on Downing Street.
British democracy is shrinking, and the result is Sunak—a politician who lacks a popular mandate but does have incredible wealth and an air of hoodie-wearing dorkiness. Let me be clear about how cringe he can be: The 42-year-old once told a pair of schoolboys that he was a “” before clarifying, with a small, snorting laugh, that he was referring to Coca-Cola. He wears his with white socks. He owns a $200 “smart mug” that heats itself. His victory speech revealed all of a recorded announcement at a train station. Every time I see him on television,
