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Top Tories fear the party is running out of time to convince the country it deserves another term in office.<\/p>\n
Mr Sunak, below, is being urged to set out an agenda that \u201cgoes where Labour cannot go\u201d. Veterans fear if he fails to show why they should stay in power, they are \u201cfinished\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Prime Minister needs to deliver a conference speech next month that excites his party and the nation, and avoid humiliation in by-elections in seats \u00adformerly held by Nadine Dorries and Chris Pincher.<\/p>\n
Mr Sunak must then put the finishing touches to the King\u2019s Speech, due on November 7, which will set out his Government\u2019s top priorities before the next election.<\/p>\n
A fortnight later, the Autumn State\u00ad\u00adment must boost confidence in the markets and in households that the economy is on the up.<\/p>\n
The 43-year-old PM also faces the challenge of nailing down the long-awaited trade deal with India and ensuring that Tory fortunes do not take further blows as a result of gaffes and scandals.<\/p>\n
The most recent WeThink polling shows that Labour continues to hold a nearly 20-point lead. Among people who are likely to vote, 43 per cent say they plan to vote Labour, with just 24 percent expecting to back Mr Sunak\u2019s party.<\/p>\n
READ MORE <\/strong> India goes crazy for Rishi Sunak despite Narendra Modi ‘double snub’<\/strong><\/p>\n Prominent Tories are calling for the PM to give people a clear \u201cnarrative\u201d about his plans for the country. A senior backbencher said: \u201cWhen you are consistently 20 points behind \u2013 as we have been for months \u2013 it\u2019s time to stop burying your head in the sand.<\/p>\n What the party is crying out for is a powerful, consistent \u00adnarrative; a story on why we deserve to be re-elected. That\u2019s what the PM and Cabinet must come up with or we\u2019re finished.\u201d<\/p>\n A former cabinet minister urged Mr Sunak to stage a \u201cbold\u201d reshuffle and govern with greater verve, \u00adsaying: \u201cRishi needs to have courage. He is far too cautious and is surrounded by \u2018yes\u2019 men.\u201d<\/p>\n Another ex-cabinet minister stressed the importance of this autumn for the Government\u2019s future, saying: \u201cIt\u2019s definitely make-or-break because we\u2019re running out of time.\u201d<\/p>\n Former defence secretary Liam Fox urged the PM to follow the example of Margaret Thatcher in 1987, saying she brought her cabinet together and made each of them say what it is about their department that makes it \u201cworth voting Con\u00adservative next time\u201d.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cRishi needs a similar exercise. We need to set out an agenda that goes where Labour cannot go. An agenda that appeals to voters who are naturally ours.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t believe for a minute we cannot win the next election. But we cannot win it without some courage.\u201d He argues the Chancellor needs to set out \u201cwhy only the Tory Party can be trusted for small business\u201d.<\/p>\n Mr Sunak received a boost last week when it was announced that the UK would rejoin the EU\u2019s Horizon scheme, with British scientists able to bid for a share of the \u00a381billion funding pot.<\/p>\n Don’t miss… <\/strong> We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n Damian Green, a leading One Nation Conservative who served as Theresa May\u2019s de facto deputy PM, said: \u201cThe Government needs to build on successes like the Horizon announcement by showing it can solve problems, but also give a practical vision of what a Conservative government would be aiming at.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to give people hope that the tough decisions of recent years will bear fruit in a more prosperous country that spreads opportunity to everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n Election expert and Tory peer Robert Hayward said Horizon is a \u201cseriously important\u201d development and also sounded a note of optimism about the by-election due on October 19 in Mid-Bedfordshire, the seat until recently held by Boris Johnson-ally Ms Dorries.<\/p>\n Praising Tory candidate Festus Akinbusoye, he said: \u201cFestus is the best campaigning Conservative by-election candidate I\u2019ve ever worked with. He is just a natural.\u201d<\/p>\n Dame Andrea Jenkyns, who ousted Labour\u2019s Ed Balls from Mor\u00ad\u00adley and Outwood in 2015, said this is a \u201ccritical time for the Gov\u00ad\u00adernment\u201d and that stopping small boats crossing the Channel is a \u201ctop priority\u201d.<\/p>\n She said that in the coming months \u201ceffective communication, prudent policy implementation and a clear focus on core values are essential\u201d.<\/p>\n Fellow Tory MP Craig Mackinlay is upbeat about winning a historic fifth term. He said: \u201cThis autumn gives an opportunity for a reset of seeming policy drift and to show clear differences between us and Labour.\u201d<\/p>\n He suggested the Autumn Statement could include the \u201cbold move of scrapping hated inheritance tax\u201d, adding: \u201cA reset of the more costly, impractical and unpopular parts of the net-zero pathway, including a promise to motorists to stop turning the screw on their freedoms, would be an obvious path to take.\u201d<\/p>\n His colleague Daniel Kawczynski is excited about opportunities for the country. \u201cFor the first time in my lifetime we are at liberty to create a free-trading bloc across the Commonwealth, so the negotiations with India will be critical,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He signalled he believes Mr Sunak may not have to leave No10 after the General Election. \u201cRishi is exceeding my expectations as a leader and he is bringing a quiet, calm competence back to Britain,\u201d he said \u201cThe next election is all to play for.\u201d<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/139\/590x\/secondary\/4952486.jpg?r=1694354560316\")
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