Rishi Sunak has reached the campaign track to try to pursue Tory voters as he prays to become the next prime minister — but was involved in a bizarre encounter when asked to sign a Margaret Thatcher memoir.
The former chancellor, 42, spoke to a crowd today at a farm near Winchester, Hampshire, before greeting supporters as his leadership campaign continued.
Sunak gave a speech and spoke to a local farmer alongside Tory MP for East Hampshire’s Damian Hinds, before meeting Conservative members at Fontwell Park racecourse in West Sussex.
But as he greeted the crowd in Winchester, Mr Sunak was given a copy of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s book for signature.
It comes two days after he said she was the best Conservative Party leader ever at a Tory hustings in Yorkshire.
He said: “She has won several election victories and changed this country for the better.”
Rishi Sunak Gets A Copy Of Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s Book To Sign Earlier Today
The former Chancellor and hopeful leadership was on the campaign trail at Manor Farm, in Ropley, near Winchester, Hampshire
Mr Sunak addressed a crowd during his visit to the farm, which saw hundreds of attendees at the event
Mr Sunak imagined himself eating a chocolate eclair before speaking at the event in Hampshire earlier today
Both Mr Sunak and his leadership rival Liz Truss have stepped up their campaign by making several visits across the country
Mr Sunak with Conservative MP Damian Hinds and farm owner Tim Graham at an event at Manor Farm
The Margaret Thatcher incident comes two days after he said she was the best Conservative Party leader ever at a Tory hustings in Yorkshire
Mr Sunak speaks to a woman earlier today while on the campaign trail at a farm near Winchester
Mr Sunak then traveled to Fontwell Park Racecourse in West Sussex to continue campaigning and posed with supporters
And when asked how Ms Thatcher was thought to have reacted to being the first Chancellor in more than 40 years to raise corporate taxes, he added: ‘I think she would have reacted, as I have done, by tackling inflation first.’
The hopeful leadership has repeatedly linked its economic vision for Britain to ‘common sense Thatcherism’ – despite planning to raise corporate taxes on businesses – adding that ‘you have to earn what you spend’.
In his first campaign interview with The Telegraph earlier this month, Mr Sunak linked Mrs Thatcher’s economic thinking to his own upbringing.
He told The Telegraph: ‘We will cut taxes and we will do it responsibly. That’s my economic approach. I would describe it as common sense Thatcherism. I believe she would have.’
He added: “If you read her speeches – and I quoted her and… [former Tory chancellor] Nigel Lawson in other lectures I’ve given – her approach to these things was to make sure that as a nation you have to earn what you spend.
“She was talking about the person at home with the family budget. She spoke very strongly about that. That appealed to me, because that’s how I was raised.
‘My mother was a small businesswoman, she was a chemist. I worked in my mother’s small pharmacy in Southampton. I did my mother’s books, that was part of my job. I also did the salary and accounting weekly and monthly.’
Meanwhile, Mr Sunak’s devious leadership campaign took another blow today when Tom Tugendhat endorsed Liz Truss as Britain’s next prime minister.
Mr Tugendhat met Mrs Truss at a campaign event in Westerham after supporting her for the Conservative leadership.
Liz Truss and Tom Tugendhat meet at a meeting at Biggin Hill Airport after he approved her as leader
Tugendhat enthusiastically backed Liz Truss as the country’s next prime minister, saying her promised tax cuts were “based on true conservative values”
The two exchanged a warm hug when the foreign select committee chairman welcomed frontrunner Ms. Truss to a meeting at Biggin Hill Airport.
Tugendhat was seen as the leading One Nation Conservative candidate in the race for party leadership before being eliminated last week. His endorsement bolsters Ms. Truss’ claim that she can unite the Conservative Party in this contest.
Tugendhat said he supported the frontrunner’s pledge to cut taxes, saying they were “based on genuine conservative principles.”
Ms Truss has said she is “fighting for every vote” as she competes with her rival Rishi Sunak for the keys to 10 Downing Street.
She was asked if her lead over Mr Sunak in polls of voting Tory members means she can lose the match.
The Secretary of State told reporters, “This is a very, very close race and I’m fighting for every vote.”
Asked about her plan to help people facing the escalating cost of living, Ms Truss reiterated her promises to reverse the surge in national insurance and impose a temporary moratorium on green energy taxes.
She added: “The way we are going to handle this crisis is by growing the economy.”
Mr Sunak defended his own tax plan as he was nabbed by Andrew Neil on Channel 4 on Friday – dismissing allegations that his policies would lead the country into recession.
The former chancellor warned that Mrs Truss’ plans for massive tax cuts would “add fuel to the fire” of inflation.
Ms Truss’ pledge to cut taxes if she is elected the next Conservative leader has been a policy cornerstone in a contest that has seen her consistently top the polls among Tory party members.
Mr Sunak U-turned his tax plans earlier this week by promising to cut VAT, though the move failed to bolster support in Tory membership.
According to a BMG poll for i-newspaper, 43 percent of conservative members think Liz Truss would do better as prime minister, compared to just 32 percent for Rishi Sunak.
It comes after Mr Sunak was forced to deny being “inconsistent” with the tax during his lonesome whim of Andrew Neil on Friday.
Andrew Neil (left) with Mr Sunak for their interview on the Andrew Neil Show last night
The former chancellor defended U-turning’s stance on cutting VAT on utility bills, rejecting suggestions he had shown “lack of consistency” and “poor judgement”.
The former chancellor told Andrew Neil he had “always said from the start” that he would be “ready to do more” to help people with utility bills if the cost of living increased.
The veteran broadcaster asked him: ‘In February you told the House of Commons that cutting VAT on energy bills would, in your words, ‘disproportionately benefit wealthy candidates’.
“With your campaign not gaining traction among Tory members, you are proposing to suspend VAT on utility bills – not just a bad judgment, but a lack of consistency.”
Mr. Sunak replied: ‘No, absolutely not. I’ve always said from the start that if we knew more about what the energy bill would be in the fall, I’ll be ready to do more.”
Mr Sunak hit back, saying he was aware the cut was a “blunt instrument”, but he was responding to higher estimates for the energy price cap more recently made by Ofgem.
Mr Neil criticized Mr Sunak’s track record as the person in charge of the economy, questioning whether he was “punishing workers” earlier this year with his tax hikes that hit lower income earners by raising national insurance premiums.
Rishi Sunak insisted that he “wants to get a grip on inflation as soon as possible because inflation makes everyone poorer.”