Traditionally, Conservative prime ministers can be relied upon to stick to the rules internationally and free people at home from as much unnecessary state control as they can get away with.
Yet Boris Johnson finds himself facing opposition from two typically co-operative wings of his party after appearing to depart from those long-held truths.
Nobody can say the world is the same as it was a year ago. Even without COVID-19, Brexit would always have presented a challenge.
But in just a few short months the prime minister has moved from opposing measures to restrict people going to the pub, to introducing COVID-marshals to enforce social distancing on the high-street.
And on Brexit, from approving a deal and urging his party to vote it through parliament, to breaking the law to change it – prompting fury from Conservatives in the process.
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Speaking to some of those critics, particularly on Brexit, it’s clear there is no love lost for the way the EU has negotiated a future trade deal.
But just as apparent is the sense that the government lacks a strategy, or at least the willingness to communicate it to the people who will be held responsible for making it happen.
One well-placed senior Tory in the House of Lords said the fear is the prime minister and his closest aides are being driven by ideological impulse and not trade strategy in pushing on with the UK Internal Market Bill.
This, they added, leads to decisions which damage the UK in the short term – even if there could be a long term gain.
Another said this was the week when they lost all hope of a deal being done between the two sides.
And on COVID-19 too, leaked stories about a Cabinet battle between senior ministers over how many people should be allowed to mix shows how thorny an issue this is for the party.
Tempers frayed in the House of Commons after Matt Hancock, the health secretary, ducked questions on tighter lockdown measures early this week before announcing them with no debate just a day later.
Mr Johnson now faces frustration from at least two sides of his own party and a planned meeting on Friday evening is unlikely to do much to dampen it.
Normally camera-shy Conservative MPs are openly criticising him without fear for the consequences, shielded by former prime ministers with years of Conservative credibility.
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New MPs have had very little time with Mr Johnson, if any, and already felt far more loyal to their communities than the fate of the Conservatives in Westminster.
Those who have been around longer don’t like feeling that decisions are being made by a handpicked few with little regard for their thoughts.
In truth all this grumbling may come to very little, domestically at least.
A small rebellion in the House of Commons is expected on the Internal Market Bill but unless the numbers are large it won’t be enough to bully the prime minister to change course.
What it will do is draw a line in the sand, a warning to Mr Johnson that things can’t continue in the same way for much longer.