There are times when being the Prime Minister has as much job security as the manager of a premiership football club on a losing streak.

Rishi Sunak faces a common problem for those in the Number 10 jersey - trying to avoid political relegation when the results are not going your way.

And it is not just the supporters he has to convince but voters at large. On the plus side, he is unlikely to face any attempt to oust him before the next election but can take it as read that he will get booted out if he leads his party to defeat.

His greatest challenge, meanwhile, is to deliver a prospectus that will do enough to keep his supporters on side at the least, and be attractive enough to persuade the ‘don’t knows’ to switch.

At the top of that local list, as far as Kent MPs are concerned, is the ongoing issue of smuggling gangs bringing people over to the UK via the Channel.

This matters because the crackdown on small boats crossing is one of the key pledges made by the Prime Minister; and regardless of whether the targets are being met or not, the optics are not very convincing however they are being viewed.

That aim is associated with the various efforts being made to avoid huge hotel costs, accommodating the number of would-be migrants while they wait for their claims to be processed.

This objective won't be met this year and beyond.

Then there is the issue of Kent being turned into a huge lorry park to deal with the consequences of congestion, delays and disruption largely caused by leaving the EU.

The referendum in Kent delivered a firm vote for Brexit but to many it still seems that the opportunities promised from leaving the EU are somewhat illusory.

It is true that most Conservative MPs in the county are sitting on substantial majorities, bolstered by the promise to deliver Brexit.

Equally, while the top target for Labour is South Thanet, it is by no means a shoe-in requiring a swing of about 11% to change hands.

While Rishi targets the north of England and strives to persuade voters who backed the party and delivered a ‘blue wall’, there is arguably an equally important priority: resisting a red wall in Kent that could jeopardise Conservative MPs in key seats in the Garden of England.