From wipeout to hope - How Sunak managed to sway forlorn Tory party

When Rishi Sunak took over as leader, most Conservative MPs were in despair. Some even suggested the party did not deserve to be in power. "We need a reset," one told the Guardian at the time. "A period out of the office to get our act together." 

- Pippa Crerar

But almost five months on, Sunak has given the Tories hope they can avoid a total wipeout at the next election. Despite 13 years in office and all the problems the UK is facing, they now believe they could hang on, albeit with a significantly smaller majority.

"When Rishi came in, morale was absolutely on the floor and everybody felt the next election was a foregone conclusion for Labour," says one backbencher. "Now it feels like there's a narrow chance we can win."

It is an ambition that the Conservative's election strategist Isaac Levido has been emphasising at every opportunity. After one briefing, a previously downcast MP said: "It's clear that, despite Boris Johnson and Liz Truss setting a low bar, we now have a sensible, functioning government. The public gets that."

It was evident during Sunak's press conference with the French president, Emmanuel Macron, in Paris yesterday, which marked a warming in Anglo-French relations after the turbulence of Brexit. "Now, if we're honest, the relationship between our two countries has had its challenges in recent years," Sunak said.

Yet Tory MPs still feel the odds are stacked against them, and are struggling to ignore Labour's 20-point poll lead - though most think that the gap will tighten considerably. The strength of the "time for change" narrative after their party has spent so long in office also plays on their mind.