RISHI Sunak has insisted he did not expect to become Prime Minister and had moved on from the bitter leadership contest.
The PM, 42, said he had been focusing on what was next for him after his initial defeat but felt a “responsibility and a duty” to stand.
Rishi Sunak insisted he did not expect to become Prime Minister
He also admitted that trust in the Conservative Party had been damaged by Liz Truss’ “sugar rush” tax cuts.
And he vowed to steer the country through a “difficult economic time”, adding: “I’ve got a track record in doing it.”
Mr Sunak became Prime Minister last month after Liz Truss, who beat him in a leadership contest over summer, quit following a disastrous 46-days in office.
He told The Times in his first interview since taking charge: “I believe very strongly in public service. That’s why I wanted to do the job over the summer.
“I thought I was the best person to lead our country through what we all acknowledge are going to be some challenging times.
“Given what happened [with Truss’s premiership], I felt the same.”
He also said: “In one sense I had moved on, I was thinking about what was next for me. I was getting stuck into that.”
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson had been expected to run against him but decided not to after a failed hour-long meeting in which he tried to strike a joint-ticket deal with Mr Sunak.
The PM said: “I was very clear with him about the fact I had strong support from colleagues in parliament and I thought I was the best person to do the job.
“I was going to put myself forward for it. I’d say we have a good relationship. We worked very closely with each other for a long time. I have an enormous amount of affection and respect for him. It was very cordial.”
Contender Penny Mordaunt pulled out at the last minute, leaving Mr Sunak the only MP in the race.
Mr Sunak, Britain’s first Hindu Prime Minister, also said it was “absolutely marvellous” to celebrate Diwali for his first formal event in Number 10.
He promised that his government will be honest, fair and will deliver on things that matter to people, like getting a grip on rising mortgage rates.
But he warned the state could not “fix every problem” by borrowing money due to the risk of “high inflation, a loss of credibility, spiking interest rates”. He added: “Life’s not that simple.”
And he repeatedly refused to rule out a return to austerity, saying: “There are difficult decisions to come. We’re going to be fair in how we go about addressing them.”
It comes after the Bank of England said Britain was entering a two-year recession. And the country is paying a premium following Ms Truss’ disastrous mini-budget.
But Mr Sunak insisted: “It’s important to remember there are global challenges. There are two very specific things that are happening.
“There’s the aftermath of Covid and all of the impact that’s had on global supply chains and the cost incurred in grappling with that.
“And there’s also the impact of Putin’s war in Ukraine, and the impact that’s having, particularly on energy prices.
“Those two particular global factors are causing challenges for lots of countries. So we’re not alone in experiencing that.”
