Rishi Sunak was grilled by Piers Morgan on his Talk TV show last night (February 2). The broadcaster probed the Prime Minister on a range of topics, from striking nurses to his finances and even Harry and Meghan.
The face to face interview, pre-recorded at No.10 Downing Street, was aired on Piers’ Uncensored show. It took place on Mr Sunak’s 100th day as Prime Minister.
Mr Morgan also quizzed the PM on his marriage and his wealth, even asking him: “You’re stinking rich, right?” which Mr Sunak responded by saying he was “financially fortunate”. Below are the key topics discussed on the show.
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On striking nurses
The PM said that he would “love to give nurses a massive pay rise” but stated that there “simply isn’t the money for it.” Although he did say that he would look into hospital car parking charges for nurses.
On Harry and Meghan
Morgan asked Mr Sunak whether the Duke and Duchess of Sussex should be invited to the King’s coronation. He was quick to reply: “I had a feeling you might ask me about that.” He then went on to add that he couldn’t talk about the royal family, but did state that “spending time with the monarch” was “one of the great privileges of the job”.
He added: “King Charles does an incredible job. We’re lucky to have him – the coronation is going to be superb and we’re going to have a great time.”
When Morgan joked if he minded if he were sat next to Harry and Meghan, Mr Sunak said: “What I’m focused on is making sure we have a great time as a country and that what I’m confident is going to happen.”
On his finances
The Prime Minister has faced scrutiny over his finances in the last year as he is one of the richest sitting MPs. His wife, Akshata Murty, has non-dom tax status and opposition parties have called for Mr Sunak to be more open about his financial affairs.
Morgan told Mr Sunak, “You’re stinking rich, right?” After a pause, the PM said: “Well I think most people would considerI’m financially fortunate, yes.” But he added that his values are the most important thing, over “how much is in my bank account”.
When quizzed about his tax returns, Mr Sunak said: “They will be published shortly. As you know the tax filing deadline was just a few days ago. So that’s why.
‘So we do the tax-filing deadlines just passed, so they’re just being prepared and they will be released shortly.”
On his cabinet
Morgan quizzed the PM on how he has dealt with the scandals surrounding Suella Braverman, who he appointed only days after she quit following security breaches, Gavin Williamson, Nadhim Zahawi and Dominic Raab.
Mr Sunak said: "Well actually people can judge me on how I’ve dealt with these situations as they’ve arisen right?
“In most cases that you mentioned you’re talking about things that happened, before I was Prime Minister, but as they’ve arisen on my watch I’ve actually worked in a way that I believe to be professional, in a way that I believe does restore integrity back into the process.”
He also added that he didn’t have an issue with former Prime Minister Boris Johnson meeting up with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He said: “No look, it’s great that we’ve got former Prime Ministers and I speak to you know all former leaders actually.
“I think all of our leaders have a way of continuing to contribute to public life and that’s a good thing. That’s not a bad thing actually, they’ve got experience that they want to share.”
On his marriage
Morgan joked that Mr Sunak was “batting above his average” regarding his marriage to Akshata, to which he responded: “Yes 100 percent, I definitely am batting above my average.”
The PM went on to say how much his wife supported him through his job. He said: “I wouldn't be able to do this job without her love and support.”
On gender identity
When Piers Morgan brought up the case of Isla Bryson, a transgender woman convicted of raping two women when known as a man called Adam Graham, Mr Sunak said the case illustrated “some of the challenges” surrounding gender identity, but add that “ we should have enormous compassion and tolerance and understanding for those who are questioning their gender and identity.”
Mr Sunak said: "But we have to recognise the challenges that that poses, particularly for women's safety.
"For me… whether it's sex, whether it's women's spaces, whether it's prisons, biological sex really matters."
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