RISHI Sunak yesterday insisted that he took no pleasure in the coup which brought down Boris Johnson — as he insisted he was not too rich to be PM.
The ex-Chancellor moved to convince Tory members he was the man for the job but he faces an uphill battle as he languishes behind Liz Truss in the polls.
Rishi Sunak insisted that he took no pleasure in the coup which brought down Boris Johnson
The ex-Chancellor faces an uphill battle as he languishes behind Liz Truss in polls
Forty per cent of true blues do not trust him after he knifed BoJo but Mr Sunak is doing his best to patch it up with them.
On the coup which toppled the outgoing PM, he says he “didn’t take any pleasure” before adding: “I was sad about that.”
The multi-millionaire Tory hopeful adds: “I’ve still got a lot of respect and pride in the things that we achieved under his leadership.”
He says that now, however, it is time to move on from Boris, stating: “We need to look forward.
“The question for our party and members is who is best placed to lead this country through the economic challenges ahead to a brighter economic future.
“Most importantly, who is best placed to defeat Kier Starmer and win the next election.”
After being criticised for wearing £490 Prada loafers and a £3,500 suit, he adds: “I’m lucky now but my story before, that’s where I came from.
“I grew up in Southampton and worked in my mum’s chemist. I delivered her prescriptions to her patients.
“I worked in the local Indian restaurant when I was younger. So I grew up like that.
“And then, because of a lot of people’s love and kindness and sacrifice and hard work, you know, I’ve been really fortunate in my life.
“That’s why I want to be Prime Minister.”
Mr Sunak, whose dad was a GP, says he wants others to share in the dream.
He told HOAR: “I believe in a country where if you work hard, and you can aspire to great things, you can build a better life for your children.
“I want to make sure we have a country where that is possible for everybody.”
Mr Sunak faced fresh claims last night that he had worked for a hedge fund linked to tax havens and spent £20,000-a-month on rent in California.
He went to Winchester College, Oxford University and Stanford University before co-founding an investment firm.
Mr Sunak, who met his wealthy wife Akshata in the US, said: “It’s precisely because I’ve had all the experiences I’ve had that have got me to the position I’m in now that I want to do this job and provide that same opportunity for everybody.
“And, quite frankly, it’s a really Conservative story. I have family, hard work, education, and aspiration.
“Those are deeply conservative values. That’s what our party stands for.
Support to those who really needed it
“And those are the values that I will champion as PM.”
But what does that really mean for you?
Mr Sunak adds: “While Chancellor I delivered for Sun readers and made sure that we froze fuel duty and then we cut it by the biggest amount it has ever been cut before.
“You guys argued for the Universal Credit taper cut to help all of those who are moving off UC into work and putting more money in their pockets. I delivered that.
“When you guys talked about the cost of living, I stepped up as I did during the pandemic, to make sure that we got support to those who really needed it.
“I think Sun readers can rest assured that I’m always going to be working for people like that.
“And you see this month with the tax cut that we’re delivering . . . raising the threshold meaning the first £12,500 of your readers’ salaries is now completely free of income tax and National Insurance.
“That is brilliant for your readers.
“It’s £330 in their pocket so that I’ve delivered, I’ve delivered as Chancellor for you and I’ll deliver even more as Prime Minister.”
