After Truss wilted and the victorious veg went viral, a new sideshow transpired over the weekend as scandal-hit ex-PM Boris Johnson – forced from office just three months ago – flew back from his latest holiday to stage a last-gasp bid for the Conservative leadership.

By 2pm on Monday it was all over, and as Sunak prepared to enter Downing Street as the UK’s third prime minister this year, travel bosses were calling for an end to the “theatre of politics” to have engulfed Westminster these past few weeks.

“We need this whole charade over with and we need stability. Hopefully this [Sunak’s appointment] gives us the bedrock to move forward on,” chief executive of The Advantage Travel Partnership Julia Lo Bue-Said told TTG. 

“It’s positive that the new PM has been in the cabinet for a number of years and has operated at the highest level. Given we’re in the worst economic crisis for a number of years, having someone with that fiscal acumen is really important. If I was recruiting for a prime minster right now, given the state of the nation, on paper, he’s probably the right person.”

Lo Bue-Said stressed the current “theatre of politics” centred around the Tory leadership and distracting ministers from important day-to-day issues “does nothing for any of us”.

“It felt like our lives are in the hands of a theatrical play [but] today feels like a moment to move forward. It’s still a complex picture but it’s a step in the right direction,” she said.

Aito executive director Martyn Sumners said the reaction of the financial markets to the downfall of Truss “can only be good for our businesses”.

“We hope that with Mr Sunak as prime minister, we can avoid the extreme actions of ‘Trussonomics’, which have done so much harm to the British economy,” he said.

“We hope and believe that the former chancellor will recognise the importance of fiscal stability for Britain, to allow us again to be recognised as Global Britain.” 

Sumners called on the new prime minister to “raid the billions of pounds of unexpected profits” gained by oil and gas companies to provide “a considerably longer aid package” to help deal with rising energy costs.

“That would be the best way to help the whole of the UK in one speedy swoop,” he said. 

Meanwhile, Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer reiterated the association’s demands to government to help both the travel sector and its customers. 

Tanzer said businesses and consumers needed “stability, clarity, and confidence” and industry needed ministers to understand “the delicate position” travel firms were in.

“Throughout the pandemic, and in the first leadership race, we have been making Mr Sunak aware of the challenges faced by our industry,” said Tanzer. “We’ve also stressed the opportunity a thriving outbound travel sector offers the UK in terms of economic growth. Our latest forecasts show that, with the right conditions, the UK outbound travel industry could grow 15% by 2027, outperforming many other sectors. 

He said in order for the government to “harness growth” from travel businesses, the chancellor should offer a number of sector-specific support schemes.

They included extending retail-based business rates support beyond the end of the financial year April 2023, providing business support to travel businesses not based in retail premises and freezing Air Passenger Duty for the remainder of the current parliamentary term.