Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg this morning, as the Conservative party conference gets underway in Manchester. With polls currently predicting an election defeat for the Tories, Sunak was noticeably combative in his interview, insisting that he would do what he ‘believes is right’ for the country.
When Kuenssberg accused him of shifting away from pledges made in 2019, Sunak acknowledged that people would be critical of him, but said he was ‘prepared to change things’.
Sunak: ‘My job is to deliver for people’
Kuenssberg showed Sunak a word cloud indicating that the public heavily associate him with his wealth. She asked him if he was worried that people might see him as being out of touch. Sunak wouldn’t engage directly with the question, but said that his changes to the net zero policies showed that he was trying to ‘ease the burden on families’.
PM: ‘You’ve got to take a stand on things’
Sunak was ‘uninterested in talking about personalities’ when asked by Kuenssberg to say one thing he admired about the leader of the Labour party. Instead, he went for something critical, implying Starmer didn’t say anything and was ‘hiding’. Sunak differentiated himself by claiming that people would have a clear idea of what he stood for.
Gove wants tax cuts before the next election
Trevor Phillips pointed out to Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove that the tax burden had increased under the Tories, and suggested that they might be becoming a high tax party. Gove said the Conservatives cut taxes whenever they can. He came out in favour of making cuts before the next election, putting him at odds with the views of the chancellor and the prime minister. Sunak responded to Gove’s comments in his Kuenssberg interview by saying that halving inflation was the best tax cut he could deliver.
Priti Patel: Braverman may just be trying to ‘get attention’
Former home secretary Priti Patel was critical of her successor Suella Braverman’s recent speech in which she claimed multiculturalism had failed. Patel said that pledges were ‘no substitute for action’ and that the government would be judged on delivery when it came to immigration. She also said that the country should be proud of its successes with integration and multiculturalism.
Wes Streeting defends Labour chopping and changing policies
Kuenssberg asked shadow health secretary Wes Streeting whether people could trust what Labour politicians say if they keep dropping policies. Her dig came after Labour this week changed its mind over the policy of removing charitable status from private schools. Streeting defended his party, saying they were ‘bomb proofing’ policies before they make it on to the manifesto, and that they wanted to make sure the promises they make at the election will be ‘promises they can keep’.
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