The stunts and soundbites of the run-up to victory are no preparation for running a country The moment of political glory can be short-lived and bittersweet. Three years ago, when I and the rest of Theresa May’s campaign team entered Downing Street for the first time via the long corridor from the Cabinet Office, our jubilation was broken by David Cameron’s tearful advisers being ushered out the other way. A scheduling mix-up, we were told – or perhaps a deliberate reminder from the civil service of the fragility of power. The switch from the stunts and soundbites of a leadership campaign to the serious work of leadership of the country is discombobulating and difficult. Campaigns are chaotic and tactical. They require command-and-control decision making and a threadbare operation staffed by volunteers recruited on the basis of enthusiasm rather than expertise. The candidate’s headline policies are often little more than two-page briefings, floated in focus groups but untested against the trade-offs of