In Pictures: Soggy start led to bruising campaign for Rishi Sunak and Tories

The Tories, and the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in particular, endured a sometimes bruising campaign in the 2024 General Election. Mr Sunak weathered a number of controversies during the campaign – as well as some of its lighter moments. Here, the PA news agency looks back at some of the highlights, and otherwise, as the Tories attempted to stay in power. Mr Sunak called a General Election on May 22 – leading to this memorable image outside Downing Street as he spoke during heavy rain (Lucy North/PA) Mr Sunak courted the rural vote with this visit to Wykham Park Farm in Banbury, Oxfordshire (Jonathan Brady/PA) This visit to the Cotswolds Distillery in Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire, saw Mr Sunak appreciating a glass of single malt whisky (Jonathan Brady/PA) The Prime Minister takes to the field at Nuneaton Cricket Club (Jonathan Brady/PA) The Tory leader, somewhat unfortunately positioned in front of a Niftylift, as he visited a production facility in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire (Aaron Chown/PA) Although his party looked doomed in the polls, Mr Sunak did emerge with some credit after a head-to-head debate with Sir Keir Starmer (Phil Noble/PA) James Cleverly gestures at a classic sports car" srcset="https://content.assets.pressassociation.io/2024/07/02154604/18065058-797b-48ea-a8fa-27469f748f44.jpg 5440w, https://content.assets.pressassociation.io/2024/07/02154604/18065058-797b-48ea-a8fa-27469f748f44.jpg?w=320 320w, https://content.assets.pressassociation.io/2024/07/02154604/18065058-797b-48ea-a8fa-27469f748f44.jpg?w=640 640w, https://content.assets.pressassociation.io/2024/07/02154604/18065058-797b-48ea-a8fa-27469f748f44.jpg?w=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px">Mr Sunak wasn’t the only frontbencher on the campaign trail, of course. Here, Home Secretary James Cleverly puts the pedal to the metal during a visit to Great British Sports Cars in Ollerton, Nottinghamshire (Joe Giddens/PA) Grant Shapps scowls" srcset="https://content.assets.pressassociation.io/2024/07/02154738/fef63976-afe5-4626-a89f-928fc9255ed1.jpg 4000w, https://content.assets.pressassociation.io/2024/07/02154738/fef63976-afe5-4626-a89f-928fc9255ed1.jpg?w=320 320w, https://content.assets.pressassociation.io/2024/07/02154738/fef63976-afe5-4626-a89f-928fc9255ed1.jpg?w=640 640w, https://content.assets.pressassociation.io/2024/07/02154738/fef63976-afe5-4626-a89f-928fc9255ed1.jpg?w=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px">And Defence Secretary Grant Shapps pays close attention to Mr Sunak’s launch of the Tory Manifesto at Silverstone (James Manning/PA) Mr Sunak ran into widespread criticism after it emerged he left D-Day commemorations in Normandy early (Gareth Fuller/PA) On a lighter note, Mr Sunak was ‘photobombed’ by Liberal Democrat supporters during a visit to the Leander Club in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire (Jonathan Brady/PA) Mr Sunak certainly needed a tough exterior to deal with whatever he encountered on the campaign, and here he is with a couple of hard cases at Clovelly, North Devon, as he collects lobster pots (Leon Neal/PA) Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross announced he would stand down from the post after the 2024 election, where he is standing in Aberdeenshire North and Moray East (Jane Barlow/PA) So, the Tory battle bus is parked for another election campaign – but who knows when its next road trip will be? (Jonathan Brady/PA)