First aired as Sunday Morning Thought on Rutland and Stamford Sound, Sunday 30th October 2022.

Tomorrow sees the return of our schools after two weeks off for half-term. Parents listening this morning will probably be hard at work getting uniforms washed and ready, finding missing school bags, and checking the kids haven’t left their homework till the last day. 

The start of a new half-term is always an exciting time as students get back into class and new topics, catch up with their friends, and get into the swing of things. New half-terms often mean new and exciting challenges. Many teenagers will be preparing for their mock exams later in the academic year. With this brings some sense of anxiety and trepidation.

Tomorrow also marks the start of the first full week for our new Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak. During our Rutland half-term holidays we have seen Liz Truss resign as Prime Minister, a quickfire leadership election, and a new Prime Minister in place in less than a week. 

This week is a big moment for Rishi Sunak as he gets settled into his new job. I imagine that he, like many of our school teenagers, has a degree of anxiety and nerves about the coming half-term ahead. These weeks leading up to Christmas will be crucial for Sunak. However, unlike teenagers and exams, Sunak is not blessed with the same luxury of a warm-up mock. The Conservatives are under immense pressure at the moment, and the pressure is on for Sunak to turn out straight A’s (or 9s) as he gets underway as Prime Minister. Going back to school can be a big challenge for many of us, but I am sure we can all agree that becoming the Prime Minister at this time is a massive challenge, that will fill Rishi Sunak with a lot of nerves and anxiety. 

It can be so easy to criticise our Prime Ministers and our politicians without considering how difficult a job they are taking on and how nervous they probably are. This week, as kids return to school, spare a thought, maybe a prayer if you are so inclined, for Rishi Sunak as he returns to government as Prime Minister to take on the biggest challenge of his life.