Rishi Sunak¡¯s recent run of success isn¡¯t enough to turn around the electoral prospects of his ruling Conservative Party, his own aides fret.

The U.K. leader sees his performance in recent weeks as a taste of what he can achieve: the calm and capable delivery of policies from Brexit, the budget and immigration, to the Aukus defense pact, tackling anti-social behavior and nurturing energy security.

But however competent Sunak might appear, he¡¯s saddled with a major disadvantage at the ballot box: The Tories¡¯ record in government since 2010, presiding over unpopular austerity measures, a divisive national referendum and a failure to get a grip on issues that matter to ordinary Britons such as crime and health care.