Rishi Sunak refuses THREE TIMES to deny he has ambitions to replace Boris Johnson
Rishi’s maiden! Sunak takes his glamorous wife Akshata Murthy to Lords for the second test – after refusing THREE TIMES to deny he has ambitions to replace Boris Johnson as Tory leader after his popularity poll surge
- Sunak and Akshata Murthy were spotted enjoying the first day of the second test between England and India
- Mr Sunak is the Tory favourite to replace Boris Johnson in No10, almost half want change in next 12 months
- Relations between Chancellor and PM strained amid claims Mr Johnson threatened to demote him
Rishi Sunak insisted this morning that he was focused on ‘the economy, jobs, recovery’ – before heading to Lords to watch the cricket with his wife.
The Chancellor and Akshata Murthy were spotted enjoying the first day of the second test between England and India after he had tried to sidestep questions about his political ambitions.
Mr Sunak is the Tory favourite to replace Boris Johnson in No10 but declined three times in an interview today to say if he harbours ambitions for the top job.
Relations between the Chancellor and PM are said to be strained amid claims Mr Johnson threatened to demote him in a row over lockdown.
More than half of Tory voters want the finance chief to replace Boris Johnson when he leaves No 10, the Mail revealed on Wednesday.
And some 47 per cent of Conservatives who hold this view think the handover should take place in the next 12 months.
But asked about his popularity by ITV today, Mr Sunak declined to answer, instead focusing on positive GDP figures released this morning.
The Chancellor and Akshata Murthy were spotted enjoying the first day of the second test between England and India after he had tried to sidestep questions about his political ambitions.
More than half of Tory voters want the finance chief to replace Boris Johnson when he leaves No 10, the Mail revealed on Wednesday.
Some 47 per cent of Conservatives who hold this view think the handover should take place in the next 12 months
Akshata runs fashion label Akshata Designs and is also a director of a venture capital firm founded by her father in 2010. Her shareholding in Infosys alone is estimated at £185million.
The PM reportedly made the threat over a leaked letter from the Chancellor demanding more and swifter action to ease Covid curbs.
The Chancellor declined three times to answer questions on whether he wanted to step into Mr Johnson’s shoes, at a time when polls suggest he is far more popular.
More than half of Tory voters want the finance chief to replace Boris Johnson when he leaves No 10, the Mail revealed on Wednesday.
The findings come from research by pollsters JL Partners for the Daily Mail in the wake of claims of a rift between the two men
‘What I am focused on is the economy, jobs, recovery,’ he said.
‘Today’s figures are what I am focused on and today’s figures show the plan I have put in place, our plan for jobs, is working.’
Hours later he was in the members’ pavilion at Lords, watching England struggle in the field against India, the country of his wife’s birth.
Mr Sunak also denied that Mr Johnson had threatened to demote him to health secretary over a leaked letter.
The PM reportedly made the threat over a leaked letter from the Chancellor demanding more and swifter action to ease Covid curbs.
Asked about the row by ITV, Mr Sunak said: ‘I don’t pay much attention to all of these things so i don’t think there is anything more I can add to that.’
But pressed on the PM’s demotion threat and whether it happened, he said ‘No.’
‘Like every Cabinet minister I work for the Prime Minister and he and I work really well and really closely together as people have seen over the past 12-18 months,’ he added.
Asked if the Chancellor should take over when Mr Johnson steps down, 56 per cent of Conservative voters say he should, more than three times the number (18 per cent) who disagree.
Of the Tories who want Mr Sunak to succeed Mr Johnson, 11 per cent want him to do so now, while a further 36 per cent want him to do so within a year.
Even more astonishing, nearly four in five (77 per cent) of such voters think the Chancellor should be given the reins of power within three years.
That would probably mean Mr Johnson going before the next election, due by December 2024. Among all voters, 40 per cent say Mr Sunak is more likely to win an election – 27 per cent say Mr Johnson.
Meanwhile, the Chancellor thrashes the current PM in a light-hearted personal contest.
Some 21 per cent of men would be content for their partners to have dinner with Mr Johnson. Nearly double – 41 per cent – would be happy for them to dine with the Chancellor.
JL Partners interviewed 1,019 adults on Monday.