With the Fixed-term Parliaments Act repealed, the timing of the 2024 election was once again up to the Prime Minister. Rishi Sunak did not play this card to his advantage. His surprise announcement on 22 May required taking a gamble on a break in the day’s heavy rain. This swiftly backfired as the heavens opened on an unprotected leader, soaking through his expensive suit as he struggled to make his case over the strains of ‘Things Can Only Get Better’ by D: Ream, Tony Blair’s campaign theme tune, helpfully blasted into Downing Street by a nearby protester. Images of the sodden and bedraggled Prime Minister led the evening news and splashed the morning papers, with editors competing to find the best mocking caption to accompany their front-page photos. It was the first of many setbacks for Sunak.