Rishi Sunak will surely lose, so why does he choose to stay?

Our prime minister is a clever man. He is also an extraordinarily wealthy man, whether by his own means or through his successful marriage. He has a home waiting for him in California as well as the prospect of a long and prosperous future career in finance.

On the other side of the spreadsheet, he sees weeks or months of infighting with unpleasant people holding repugnant views, trying to outdo each other in appealing to a populist audience, just to maintain their own seat of power at the next general election.

So why on earth does he continue to preside over this chaotic government? Plunging us all into increasing misery and frustration wherever we look – while at the same time, his party hurtles with increasing speed towards electoral oblivion?