Former finance minister Rishi Sunak enters a 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 hit back at critics of his tax plans.
Sunak, 42, is firmly placed as the candidate to beat in the race after he won the first round of voting on Wednesday with 88 votes and then received the backing of former Cabinet minister Jeremy Hunt, who was last placed with 18 votes.
Tory members of Parliament will have their say at the ballot box again as the six remaining candidates – including Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt (67 votes), Foreign Secretary Liz Truss (50 votes), former minister Kemi Badenoch (40 votes), backbencher Tom Tugendhat (37 votes) and Suella Braverman (32 votes) – are whittled down further, with those with the least votes getting eliminated in round two.
“I think our number one economic priority is to tackle inflation and not make it worse. Inflation is the enemy and makes everybody poorer,” Sunak told the BBC when pushed on the issue of cutting taxes, which is seen as a decisive issue among the leadership contenders.
“I will get taxes down in this Parliament, but I’m going to do so responsibly. I don’t cut taxes to win elections, I win elections to cut taxes,” he said, in contrast to his nearest rivals who have made tax cut pledges already.
The British Indian ex-minister, who resigned as Chancellor and set off events in motion that ended in the resignation of Boris Johnson as prime minister last week, stressed that he is the “best person” to beat the Opposition Labour Party in the next general election – expected by 2024.
“I want to cut taxes and I will deliver tax cuts, but we will do that in a measured way. And the only way to really do that sustainably over time is to ensure that the Conservatives win the next general election. And I’m convinced that I’m the best person to beat (Labour leader) Keir Starmer and secure that election victory,” he said.
On being 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 Chancellor when he introduced measures over the pandemic to help struggling families cope with the lockdown.
