RISHI Sunak was labelled a "poundshop Nigel Farage" during a bruising radio phone-in on LBC.
The Prime Minister was accused by callers of being a “poundshop Nigel Farage” over his behaviour towards the trans community, and being too rich to relate to food bank users.
One caller, who said he is gay and living with HIV, challenged Sunak over his behaviour towards transgender people.
The caller said “I think you’ve become a poundshop Nigel Farage” and accused Sunak of being “obsessed with divisive culture wars”.
“I’m very sorry to hear you feel that way,” the Prime Minister said.
“I don’t believe that at all. I care very much about making sure people, whatever their background, are respected.”
He was also asked about John Caudwell, Phones4U founder and a former major Tory donor, and Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe throwing their weight behind Keir Starmer’s party.
Sunak replied: “They’re two of Britain’s richest men. They can probably afford Labour’s tax rises.”
The Conservatives are seeking to use tax as a key dividing issue and are stepping up attacks on Labour’s plans in a desperate bid to shift their stubborn double-digit poll deficit.
Cabinet minister Mel Stride earlier said it was “completely wrong” of Caudwell to have called Sunak an “absolute dud”, with the Work and Pensions Secretary pointing to official figures on Wednesday showing inflation falling back to the 2% target for the first time in nearly three years.
'You're richer than the King, I don't think you know what it's like.'Health worker Sophie grills Rishi Sunak over the increase in food banks, with the Prime Minister insisting that he would 'like to bring the number down'.@NickFerrariLBC isn't satisfied with his response. pic.twitter.com/kLBIEMkD86
— LBC (@LBC) June 19, 2024
Later, Sunak dodged questions about whether he would welcome Farage into the Conservative Party after the election or work with Reform UK.
“I’m not focused on after the election. I’m focused on winning this election,” the Prime Minister told the radio show.
He gave the same answer when quizzed on reports that Tory leadership hopefuls are already vying to replace him as party leader after the election.
Amid persistently low poll ratings for the Conservatives, Sunak declined to give his campaign a mark out of 10, saying: “I’m not interested in those kinds of things.”
But Cabinet ministers have been ramping up warnings about a Labour landslide.
Stride said the Opposition could win the “largest majority virtually in the history of this country”, while Chancellor Jeremy Hunt sounded the alarm over Labour being in power for “a very long time” if they get “such a big majority”.
Facing a series of questions about what happens if the Tories are defeated, Sunak insisted he would “of course” still serve for a full parliamentary term as Richmond and Northallerton’s MP.
Sunak was also confronted over the explosion in the use of food banks, with a member of the public asking him: “How can a Prime Minister who is richer than the King relate to any of our needs and struggles?”
When the Tory leader responded that he wants “to get the number down” and pointed to his work providing an “enormous amount of support to everyone” while chancellor during the pandemic, the caller said: “I think it’s an absolute lie that you supported people during Covid.”
Sunak said he would not “apologise” for being “very fortunate in life”.
