How can voters trust politicians if they flip flop like Lord Houchen has on Rishi Sunak’s leadership

As the duo paraded in front of the media, hailing Lord Houchen’s reduced majority as a victory, the Mayor said: “I could not have delivered the things we’ve delivered in this region without you, prime minister.”

In fact he went as far as to deny that he had looked to distance himself from Mr Sunak, saying “people around here know I’m a Conservative”, after he “forgot” to wear his party’s rosette at the count, the only candidate on stage not to be wearing one.

However, this week Lord Houchen has found the knives and they are duly out for the Prime Minister.

The Tees Valley Mayor says the Conservatives are “fighting each other like rats in a sack” and the blame for the party’s difficulties “ultimately lies with Rishi”.

What is clear from the comments of Lord Houchen and other leading members of the Conservatives is that the fortunes of the Tory party is more important than the fortunes of this country.

Following Natalie Elphicke’s defection to Labour, a move which in itself is mind-boggling to voters given she was attacking Sir Keir Starmer just a few days before, a string of leading Tories have been lamenting their party’s prospects at the next general election. Completely detached from the challenges that ordinary voters are facing on a daily basis.

If the idea is for the Tories to install another leader before the general election, then they need a reality check. The public is already tired of internal Tory Party machinations.

Perhaps they could learn from the contrition shown by Nadhim Zahawi, a quality that he hasn’t always been associated with, in his resignation statement, where he said “my mistakes have been mine”.