Rishi Sunak has denied quitting as chancellor in order to force a leadership contest, insisting that he was “looking forward to a nice holiday” after dramatically resigning earlier this month.
The former chancellor’s bid to succeed Boris Johnson has been undermined by the reluctance of many Tory members to vote for the man they believe “wielded the knife” to oust the prime minister.
Johnson himself has made little secret of his feeling that Sunak’s resignation was a betrayal, and suspicion over his motives have been fuelled by reports that allies were discussing social media strategies for a leadership bid months ago.
But speaking to The Spectator magazine, Mr Sunak insisted that his decision to quit was prompted by his unhappiness with Johnson’s plans for a joint speech on the economy, which he feared would paper over the cracks between their positions, as well concerns over the PM’s honesty.
He dismissed suggestions that a slick campaign video unveiled within days of his resignation was proof that his bid had been long in preparation, insisting it was put together in less than 24 hours and that he himself saw it only moments before its release.
“I can honestly say with hand on heart that that video was put together in 24 hours,” said Mr Sunak.
“I get a lot of criticism when people say: ‘Oh, gosh, it’s all very slick and professional.’ I think being professional is a good thing.
“If we want to compete in the 21st century, then yes, we do need people to be professional and ambitious and strive to be the best at what they do. I’m not going to apologise for that and I’m really lucky. I’ve got some people who are brilliant and that video was put together in a day.
“The first time I saw it was a minute before it went out. I was actually looking forward to a nice holiday.”
Mr Sunak said he had resigned “on principle” from Mr Johnson’s government because of “questions of trust and honesty about how we were dealing with things”.
But he shied away from saying that Mr Johnson had lied over his knowledge of sex pest allegations against deputy chief whip Christopher Pincher, instead saying that “it was clear to me that what was said was not accurately reflective of what seemed to have happened”.
And he made clear that he was uncomfortable with Mr Johnson’s plans – several times delayed in the weeks before his resignation – for a joint speech which would have committed the pair to the same economic platform.
“We were clearly on very different pages,” Mr Sunak told The Spectator. “It comes back to being honest with the country about the challenges we face. I am prepared to say some things that have not made my life easy.
“I’m prepared to tell people that you can’t have your cake and eat it. That’s partly why I resigned because it doesn’t work if the prime minister and chancellor are not on the same page.”
Mr Sunak also appeared to question the government’s approach to achieving its target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050, suggesting that it could be toned down to prevent economic pain.
“Of course net zero is important,” he said. “But we shouldn’t run at that target so hard and so fast that we do enormous damage to people and the country along the way.”
