"Why did he do it? We were all told it would be the autumn and were hoping that by then we could turn things round. It is very perplexing," said one former minister, frowning. Others said they were simply not ready to fight a campaign and that they couldn't raise the money in time.
It was all too frantic and at the same time too final for some to take. Tearful MPs - mostly Tory - were saying their goodbyes in the lobbies knowing they would not return. Grandees in the Commons were delivering stirring farewell speeches in the chamber after long and august careers, Harriet Harman and Theresa May among them.
At the same time staff were pulling out all the stops, dispatching messages by hand, trying to salvage important legislation that they had been poring over for weeks, months, even years.
Sunak's decision to go to the country on 4 July had created legislative turmoil. It meant parliament would shut down later that day, several weeks earlier than expected.
Some laws that had been passing through their later legislative stages were saved and rammed on to the statute book in double quick time. But others that were not so advanced -including one to stop smoking and another to end no-fault evictions that Sunak had said would form key parts of his legacy - had to be dropped.
In the Lords, peers stood up to bemoan the fact that important laws affecting the City of London had been ditched, at least for the time being.
Tories were dismayed. "It just shows how well No 10 had thought this through," said one senior Conservative MP. "We have been talking about these bills for months. Stopping young people smoking was one of Rishi's things. Now he has killed one of his legacy bills off just in time for the campaign. Brilliant." It was an extraordinary end to the life of a parliament, and in all probability, to 14 years of Tory rule.
Denne historien er fra May 31, 2024-utgaven av The Guardian Weekly.
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Denne historien er fra May 31, 2024-utgaven av The Guardian Weekly.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Starlink's conquest of the Amazon leaves Brazil in a dilemma
The helicopter swooped into one of the most inaccessible corners of the Amazon rainforest. Brazilian special forces commandos leaped from it into the caiman-inhabited waters below.
Dalai Lama's mountain town feels the strain of tourist boom
SUVs and saloon cars pass slowly along McLeod Ganj's narrow one-way Jogiwara Road, blaring horns at pedestrians and scooter riders and playing loud music.
'I am all the world' The brutal rule of a West Bank settler
Palestinians tell ofblacklisted Yakov's reign across the Jabal Salman valley and heisjust one of many violent bosses
Stormy waters New flashpoint emerges in South China Sea dispute
Hopes that tensions in the South China Sea might ease have been short lived.
'Justice delayed' Why trust in public inquiries to bring closure is fading
After the final report of the Grenfell fire inquiry was published, Hisam Choucair, who lost six family members in the blaze, said: \"We did not ask for this inquiry... It's delayed the justice my family deserves.\"
Celeriac soup with almond pangrattato
I'm not ashamed to say that as soon as September hits, my stick blender comes out. Just as I embrace salads when the clocks go forward in the UK, I wholeheartedly throw myself into soup season once the summer holidays end. Autumn is approaching in the northern hemisphere and I'm ready with my ladle. Celeriac is one of my favourite soup heroes, because it gives the creamiest, silkiest finish with little effort. You don't have to make the almond pangrattato, but it is a wonderful addition.
Are smoke signals telling me to make an oil change in the kitchen?
Should you that is, not can you) cook with extra-virgin olive oil? Antonio, Atlanta, Georgia, US
Going underground
A darkly humorous encounter between an American spy-cop and the members ofan eco-commune she is hired to infiltrate
All work and no play
Hard Graft, a powerfulnew London exhibition, focuses onworkers’ exploitation, from the ruined hands ofa washerwoman to mothers forced to sell their bodies
What the princess and the shaman tell us about hereditary privilege
It should have been an Instagram-perfect wedding image, but it turned out to be something more embarrassing.
