Rishi Sunak

Labour has warned Rishi Sunak against immediately raising taxes in his Budget on Wednesday, urging him instead to focus on securing the economic recovery. Shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds said now is “not the time” for tax rises, but signalled that she could support an increase in corporation tax in the future. Her comments came amid […]

Reports claim that chancellor Rishi Sunak will not include a pay boost for health workers in England’s forthcoming budget, despite warnings it could cause an exodus among frontline staff. Sunak will not make any decision on salaries for NHS staff until he receives the NHS Pay Review Body’s conclusions, which are due to be delivered […]

Former chancellor Philip Hammond has urged Boris Johnson to tell the public “some difficult home truths” ahead of next week’s Budget. The ex-occupant of Number 11, who was a close ally of Theresa May, also said the government should ditch “very extravagant” promises from its manifesto. Lord Hammond of Runnymede told the BBC he broadly […]

TIM WALKER on the list of the chancellor’s engagements, and the mystery of the missing BBC Boris Johnson documentary. When it comes to ingratiating himself with the media, Boris Johnson will be alarmed to learn that his ambitious chancellor Rishi Sunak, pictured, is beating him at his own game. In the third quarter of 2020, Sunak ate out to help […]

TIM WALKER on the latest in-house spending at the Treasury. Plus, how Steinway pianos have suffered from Brexit. With a £500 million-plus personal fortune and a father-in-law who’s a billionaire, Rishi Sunak inevitably seems to struggle sometimes to empathise with lesser mortals. Already in these straitened times, the chancellor has allowed annual running costs for his flat in […]

Shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds has launched an attack on Rishi Sunak’s handling of the pandemic, claiming his policies have costs job and left the UK with the highest death toll in Europe. Dodds has accused her Tory opposite number of repeatedly taking the wrong policy options, with the government setting up a “false choice” between protecting public […]

Ofcom has dismissed complaints made by viewers over an appearance by Rishi Sunak on Good Morning Britain. Some 1,064 viewers said statements made by the chancellor were inaccurate, with most objecting to his claim that he had engaged with a campaign group representing people who say they have been excluded from access to Covid-related financial […]

A Tory minister has come under fire after publicly stating Rishi Sunak’s Eat Out to Help Out (EOTHO) programme was a “success”, despite claims linking the scheme with increased coronavirus rates. Chief secretary to the Treasury, Stephen Barclay, dismissed the accusation that EOTHO had been a public health disaster which helped the spread of Covid-19. Under the […]

In recent days Conservative ministers have scrambled to insist that Boris Johnson’s “oven-ready” Brexit deal pledge at the election only related to the Withdrawal Agreement. But one year ago, days before the general election, the then chief secretary to the Treasury claimed there was no need for no-deal Brexit planning because “we have got this […]

Readers respond to Rishi Sunak’s latest spending review. The biggest public sector debt in history! What sickens me is the failure to acknowledge the outright lies of the coalition government in cutting back services now seen as essential. Health and social care, police, youth clubs, mother and toddler groups and all the multitude of services […]

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has failed to declare his family’s wealth in a ministerial register, an investigation has found. Sunak is under pressure to explain how a multi-million-pound portfolio of shareholdings and directorships held by his wife and her family were not declared in an official register of ministers’ interests, a Guardian investigation has revealed. Akshata Murty, […]

Former international development secretary Andrew Mitchell has criticised Rishi Sunak’s cut in Britain’s foreign aid budget, arguing the move makes the UK “less safe and less prosperous”. Mitchell, who served in David Cameron’s cabinet between 2010 and 2012, said the chancellor’s decision to cut foreign aid was a “shameful mistake” that would hurt Britain’s world […]

Brexiteer Iain Duncan Smith (IDS) has been criticised for suggesting it was “far better” for politicians to be “straight and honest” with the public. The former work and pensions secretary said it was right for Rishi Sunak to be “honest” with the public about spending cuts brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. Appearing of Good Morning […]

A Tory peer has resigned from her ministerial post in protest against a cut to the government’s foreign aid budget. Baroness Liz Sugg tendered her resignation as junior minister for sustainable development shortly after the chancellor announced a temporary reduction of the UK’s foreign aid budget to 0.5% on Wednesday. In her resignation letter to prime minister […]

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has said he is confident about the British economy “in all circumstances” – whether there is a Brexit deal or not. Sunak was appearing on Sunday shows when he said that the government should not agree on a deal “at any price”. With the transition period due to end on December 31, […]

Dominic Cummings’ departure marks the “beginning of the end” for Boris Johnson, an ally of the prime minister has warned. According to the Mail on Sunday, supporters of Johnson now fear that the former senior aide will lead to a “guerilla operation” from Cummings causing Brexiteers to destabilise the prime minister to make the way for […]

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has insisted he does not want the top job in government, saying that he “struggles enough” in the current job. In an interview with Lad Bible he denied he wanted to replace Boris Johnson. “Definitely not. I have enough of a struggle just trying to do the job that I have and keep my […]

There was no shortage of critics for Rishi Sunak’s ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme when it became clear it may have contributed to the spread of the coronavirus. Still, the chancellor’s wife Akshata had good reason to applaud what he was trying to do. Mandrake can disclose that she was among the founder shareholders […]

Sir Keir Starmer has attacked the chancellor’s decision to block a “circuit breaker” lockdown and claimed the delay would have far-reaching consequences. The leader of opposition said the chancellor’s name was “all over” the decision to delay a nationwide lockdown during an appearance at the Confederation of British Industry conference in London. Sir Keir said Sunak’s decision […]

The chancellor is borrowing and borrowing to combat the pandemic. Perhaps he should delay paying the bill, writes Bronwen Maddox. The clash between the mayor of Greater Manchester and the chancellor of the Exchequer was the first significant political contest of the age of coronavirus. For the seven long months since the pandemic took hold […]

Two more Tory MPs who rejected a motion to extend free school meals have been at the receiving end of local protests. Empty plates with messages on them began piling up outside the office of Sutton MP Paul Scully on Monday after it emerged he was one of 322 Tory MP who voted against plans to feed hungry […]

A Labour politician has lashed out at Boris Johnson and asked how he expected people to live on two-thirds of the national minimum wage if he struggled on his £150,000-a-year salary. Denton and Reddish MP Andrew Gwynne has slammed the prime minister for allegedly complaining about his salary. According to the Sunday Mirror, Tory MPs are gearing up […]

Former prime minister Gordon Brown has warned chancellor Rishi Sunak that the UK is heading for a double cliff edge of Brexit and an economic collapse caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Brown, who is the longest serving chancellor of the exchequer in modern times, said the impending double whammy would cost jobs. He said the chancellor, […]

A Tory politician has urged colleagues to back Rishi Sunak as Boris Johnson’s replacement at No 10. Senior Tory MSP, Murdo Fraser, retweeted a message which praised the chancellor and criticised Boris Johnson. The post, which was written by Herald columnist Iain Macwhirter read: “Rishi Sunak reaches the parts Boris cannot. “He’s as fluent and convincing […]

Rishi Sunak has been slammed online after suggesting Britons should be “grateful” to have Boris Johnson as their leader.  Appearing on Sky News’ Kay Burley @ Breakfast show, the chancellor downplayed claims he would take a tilt at the top job of prime minister. MORE: Downing Street denies rift between Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak “I […]

The prime minister appears to have attacked himself for “forgetting the history of the UK” as he was set to make a policy announcement on wind farms at Tory party conference. In a preview of Boris Johnson’s speech, he is set to say: “I remember how some people used to sneer at wind power, twenty years […]

Piers Morgan has accused Rishi Sunak of getting his figures on the number of daily coronavirus tests wrong during an on-air rant. The Good Morning Britain presenter slammed Sunak for saying 250,000 people a day were being tested. “No, you’re not, because you, yourself, said on your previous interview that – you may forgotten what […]

Rishi Sunak has declared that he does not want to take over as prime minister, laughing off claiming his own job is difficult enough. The chancellor acknowledged disagreements but spoke warmly of his relationship with Johnson after rumours of a split between the two men inhabiting Downing Street. The suggestions have largely been fuelled by […]

Wealthy seats and new Tory strongholds have evaded lockdown despite having higher infection rates than areas experiencing tighter restrictions, leaked emails have shown. Emails between health officials leaked to the Sunday Times show there is growing pressure to explain why large parts of the Midlands and the North are under local lockdowns while seats such as the prime minster’s […]

The chancellor has said he has “no regrets” over the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme, despite reports it could have spread coronavirus infections. Rishi Sunak was dubbed Dishi Rishi after unveiling his August scheme of subsidised meals out to help a pub and restaurant sector badly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Treasury figures show more […]