'Tax the millionaires and the billionaires, that would definitely help'
Rishi Sunak has had yet another awkward encounter with the public during a campaign visit to a pottery factory in Derbyshire where a worker heckled the Prime Minister over taxes.
Sunak hasn’t given up yet, as he entered his final week of campaigning on Thursday and made his pitch at the Denby Pottery Factory in Ripley, while trying his hand at dipping pots. However the workers did not give the Conservative leader an easy ride with more than one confrontation challenging the PM over taxes and the rise in food banks under the Tories.
At one point, an audience member called to “tax the millionaires”, interrupted Sunak as he attempted a bit of fear mongering, making his usual line bashing Labour over taxes.
He told the group: “If you want your taxes cut that’s what I’ll deliver, the alternative is that they’ll just go up and that will make everything harder for you and I don’t want to see that happen.”
At which point a worker said: “Tax the millionaires and the billionaires, that would definitely help.”
This remark was followed by an awkward pause by Sunak as the rest of the workers clapped. Sunak gave an uncomfortable smile as the claps continued.
He responded: “Actually, the proportion of tax paid by the richest people in income tax is higher today than it was in 2010 … so there we go.. that is already happening.”
At another point, a worker challenged Sunak over the huge rise in the use of food banks in the UK since 2010.
Potter, Frances Cutmore said: “Why do you feel that we should vote for another four years of Tory government when in the last 14 years you haven’t managed to make a good impression on our country. That’s not acceptable.”
Mr Sunak replied: “I don’t want anyone to have to use a food bank. Of course I don’t. But I’m also very grateful to all those people who volunteer for them, who support them, so that they are there for those who need (them).”
He went on: “There is lots of frustrations that you, and others, will have about some things in the past,” but that “this election is about the future.”
When asked by the PA news agency what Ms Cutmore made of his response, Cutmore said: “I think the Prime Minister is very good at not really answering the questions.”
With less than a week to go, Sunak’s desperate last attempts to convince voters doesn’t seem to be landing..
Hannah Davenport is news reporter at Left Foot Forward
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