LONDON: Former finance minister Rishi Altar enters the second round of voting on Thursday in the Conservative Party leadership election to determine the next British Prime Minister with a comfortable lead and has responded to criticism of his tax plan.
Sunak, 42, is firmly placed as the defeatist candidate in the race after he won the first round of voting on Wednesday with 88 votes and then secured the backing of the former Minister Cabinet Jeremy Huntwho was placed last with 18 votes.
Tory member of Parliament will have their say at the ballot box again when six candidates remain – including Purchase minister, pastor Penny Mordaunt (67 votes), Foreign Minister Liz Truss (50 votes), former Minister Kemi Badenoch (40 votes), opponents of Tom Tugendhat (37 votes) and Suella Braverman (32 votes) – were further reduced, with those with the fewest votes eliminated in the second round.
“I think our number one economic priority is to tackle inflation and not make it worse. Inflation is the enemy and makes people poorer,” Sunak told the BBC as he pushed for tax cuts, which were seen as the deciding issue among leadership candidates.
“I will reduce taxes in this Parliament, but I will do so responsibly. I don’t cut taxes to win elections, I win elections to cut taxes,” he said, in contrast to his closest opponents, who have pledged tax cuts.
Former British Minister of India, who resigned as Prime Minister and started the ongoing events that ended with the resignation of Boris Johnson as prime minister last week, insisting he is the “best man” to defeat the opposition Labor Party in the next general election – scheduled for 2024.
“I want to cut taxes and I will cut taxes, but we will do it in a calculated way. And the only way to really make it sustainable over time is to make sure the Conservatives win the next general election. And I believe I am the best person to defeat (Labour leader) Keir Starmer and secure victory in that election,” he said.
When challenged that he would struggle to connect with the poverty and cost of living crisis facing millions across Britain, Sunak pointed to his record as Prime Minister. as he introduced pandemic measures to help struggling families cope with the lockdown.
“As this country faced one of the biggest challenges we’ve ever seen, I stepped up and within weeks, regrouped and launched a furlough plan that protected over 10 million jobs and people’s livelihood. That’s a huge amount good for those people. I’m really proud of that achievement,” he said.
Sunak was also challenged about his long-term commitment to the UK and where he will “stay and retire”, a reference to his US Green Card which he kept for months after working. in UK Room.
He told the BBC: “I was living and working and studying (Stanford University) in the US at the time, but I went back to the UK and decided to try to serve my country as a a congressman and then in government.
“And now hopefully if I’m lucky enough as Prime Minister, and that’s because I believe I’m the best person to lead us through the challenges we face, do do it honestly and responsibly. But I also know I have the energy, experience and vision to grow our economy,” he said.
When investigated for his broader plans in government, Sunak confirmed that he supported an immigration strategy to deport some illegal migrants to Rwanda for border control.
“I say it as a child and grandchild of immigrants. This country has a proud history of welcoming people, but it’s also true that we control who gets here. And, sadly, there is a collection of illegal criminal gangs that are killing people when chasing here. We have to stop that. He said.
Sunak has highlighted his immigrant background as the “personal story” behind his leadership campaign, with a focus on his Indian grandmother who immigrated to the UK from Tanzania in 1960s. He used that as an advertisement for the Conservative Party values of “hard work and fairness” which he hoped would connect with party members.
Sunak, 42, is firmly placed as the defeatist candidate in the race after he won the first round of voting on Wednesday with 88 votes and then secured the backing of the former Minister Cabinet Jeremy Huntwho was placed last with 18 votes.
Tory member of Parliament will have their say at the ballot box again when six candidates remain – including Purchase minister, pastor Penny Mordaunt (67 votes), Foreign Minister Liz Truss (50 votes), former Minister Kemi Badenoch (40 votes), opponents of Tom Tugendhat (37 votes) and Suella Braverman (32 votes) – were further reduced, with those with the fewest votes eliminated in the second round.
“I think our number one economic priority is to tackle inflation and not make it worse. Inflation is the enemy and makes people poorer,” Sunak told the BBC as he pushed for tax cuts, which were seen as the deciding issue among leadership candidates.
“I will reduce taxes in this Parliament, but I will do so responsibly. I don’t cut taxes to win elections, I win elections to cut taxes,” he said, in contrast to his closest opponents, who have pledged tax cuts.
Former British Minister of India, who resigned as Prime Minister and started the ongoing events that ended with the resignation of Boris Johnson as prime minister last week, insisting he is the “best man” to defeat the opposition Labor Party in the next general election – scheduled for 2024.
“I want to cut taxes and I will cut taxes, but we will do it in a calculated way. And the only way to really make it sustainable over time is to make sure the Conservatives win the next general election. And I believe I am the best person to defeat (Labour leader) Keir Starmer and secure victory in that election,” he said.
When challenged that he would struggle to connect with the poverty and cost of living crisis facing millions across Britain, Sunak pointed to his record as Prime Minister. as he introduced pandemic measures to help struggling families cope with the lockdown.
“As this country faced one of the biggest challenges we’ve ever seen, I stepped up and within weeks, regrouped and launched a furlough plan that protected over 10 million jobs and people’s livelihood. That’s a huge amount good for those people. I’m really proud of that achievement,” he said.
Sunak was also challenged about his long-term commitment to the UK and where he will “stay and retire”, a reference to his US Green Card which he kept for months after working. in UK Room.
He told the BBC: “I was living and working and studying (Stanford University) in the US at the time, but I went back to the UK and decided to try to serve my country as a a congressman and then in government.
“And now hopefully if I’m lucky enough as Prime Minister, and that’s because I believe I’m the best person to lead us through the challenges we face, do do it honestly and responsibly. But I also know I have the energy, experience and vision to grow our economy,” he said.
When investigated for his broader plans in government, Sunak confirmed that he supported an immigration strategy to deport some illegal migrants to Rwanda for border control.
“I say it as a child and grandchild of immigrants. This country has a proud history of welcoming people, but it’s also true that we control who gets here. And, sadly, there is a collection of illegal criminal gangs that are killing people when chasing here. We have to stop that. He said.
Sunak has highlighted his immigrant background as the “personal story” behind his leadership campaign, with a focus on his Indian grandmother who immigrated to the UK from Tanzania in 1960s. He used that as an advertisement for the Conservative Party values of “hard work and fairness” which he hoped would connect with party members.
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