During a recent round of hustings in in Darlington to pick the new Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak has said he will not accept the idea that his wealth means he is out of touch with the North East while interestingly adding that he loves Parmo.

 

The former Chancellor debated with rival Liz Truss at the Darlington Hippodrome as Conservative party members grilled both candidates on their policies. During the debate, the candidates were pressed on matter such as Levelling Up, the A1 and the cost of living.

 

One journalist (Tom Newton Dunn) asked Sunak if his sizeable wealth meant that he could not relate to many people’s financial worries.

 

Sunak replied by saying “My parents worked really hard to provide me with all these opportunities. I’m not going to apologise for what they did for me.

 

“And in fact, that’s why I want to do this job because I want to provide those opportunities for everybody else.”

 

During his electoral campaign, Sunak’s personal finances has come under intense scrutiny.

 

Last April his wife, Akshata Murty announced that she would start paying UK tax on her overseas earnings after political pressure on her husband. At the time, Mr Sunak earned £151,649 from his role as an MP and Chancellor. However, he was a partner at two highly profitable hedge funds prior to becoming a politician. While he has never publicly commented on his personal wealth, The Times claim that Mr Sunak was a “Multimillionaire in his mid-twenties”.

 

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