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TORY LEADERSHIP CONTENDER Rishi Sunak proudly told party members he had been working to divert funding from “deprived urban areas” towards prosperous towns.
The former chancellor bragged that he had started changing public funding formulas to ensure more prosperous towns receive “the funding they deserve”.
The New Statesman magazine, which obtained video revealing Sunak’s remarks, said they were made to grassroots Tories in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, on 29 July.
This is scandalous. Rishi Sunak is openly boasting that he fixed the rules to funnel taxpayers’ money to rich Tory shires 👇
— Lisa Nandy (@lisanandy) August 5, 2022
This is our money. It should be spent fairly and where it’s most needed - not used as a bribe to Tory members.
Talk about showing your true colours… https://t.co/JhlqnXvAqW
Labour said it was “scandalous” that Sunak was “openly boasting that he fixed the rules to funnel taxpayers’ money to rich Tory shires”.
The Sunak campaign defended the remarks, arguing he changed the Treasury’s green book setting the rules for government spending to help towns and rural areas also in need of investment.
In the video, Sunak told Tory supporters:
I managed to start changing the funding formulas, to make sure areas like this are getting the funding they deserve because we inherited a bunch of formulas from Labour that shoved all the funding into deprived urban areas and that needed to be undone. I started the work of undoing that.
The remarks from last week came as Sunak tries to make up ground against Foreign Secretary Liz Truss to win the backing of party members who will choose the next prime minister.
Labour’s shadow levelling up secretary Lisa Nandy said: “This is scandalous. Rishi Sunak is openly boasting that he fixed the rules to funnel taxpayers’ money to rich Tory shires.
“This is our money. It should be spent fairly and where it’s most needed – not used as a bribe to Tory members.
“Talk about showing your true colours…”
Sunak’s campaign did not dispute the video and instead defended its content.
“Levelling up isn’t just about city centres, it’s also about towns and rural areas all over the country that need help too. That’s what he changed in the green book and he will follow though as prime minister,” a source said.
“Travelling around the country, he’s seen non-metropolitan areas that need better bus services, faster broadband or high quality schools. That’s what he’ll deliver as prime minister.”
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If he promised to share all his wealth with the Tory grassroots he still won’t be elected as he’s the wrong colour for that lot.
@Pat Casey: Was thinking that myself would they like to have a son of immigrants as Leader of the party and PM.
@Pat Casey: his campaign videos were in black and white in the hopes the Tory members forgot he was brown
A bit like asking which arm would you like chopped off in deciding who’s best between Rishi and Truss
@Sam Cole: they’ll keep the right arm, now… Which one of these two was the right arm again?
@Sam Cole: That’s that for Richi now.Welcome PM Liz.
@Billy McNamara: remember it’s the Tory party members voting- they love this sort of thing
@Sam Cole: Would you like your nuts crushed or roasted?
@SPQH: The question is, which of their arms most resembles Thatcher’s arm…
It’s amazing how when a Tory gets desperate they suddenly start saying the quiet part loudly.
This is the essence of what the working class Daily Mail and Sun readers are voting for. A party who will do everything in their power to work against them and their communities but when in power will wear the mask and say the words for being in their corner.
Very similar to Ireland with FG when Leo will talk about helping the “squeezed middle” and abolishing USC every few years to help the ordinary worker but in reality his actions are directly against those people.
Just like the ppe billions “lost” amongst tory buddys, just like 12 years of austerity, hounors for sale, wallpaper gate, sex pests, Russian infulence, 50 billion a year to eu, BRexit, my fingers refuse to type anymore filth and jackbooting of the common person..
@David Dineen: Don’t forget Porngate.
At least he isn’t trying to claim he didn’t do it but if he admits this then what else has he done that hasn’t come out yet. As for truss, she would have done this if she could and much worse. She would be a mess for the UK and complete disaster for Ireland.
Bizarrely while it’s abhorrent it’ll appeal to hard line Tories that didn’t know about it!
Recession inbound for the British, so even if this turd of a Tory gets in he’ll be in the top 5 of the shortest reigns as leader. It will be his greatest achievement and he’ll be soon forgotten but the Tory’s hatred for the working classes won’t be. He has a whiff of Roland rat off him…
@Epgenetics29 Declan Christy: The Tories hatred of the working class has been forgotten many times in the past. They know this and are intent on shaping the UK that they want and require while in power. They can and will because the working class of England granted them a huge majority in the last election. Even when Labour do get in they won’t be able to reverse the damage in the term they get.
@Epgenetics29 Declan Christy: considering how far behind he is in the polls of the membership it would be quite an achievement if he did get in to begin with…. Fear not, there’s another turd in the bowl
UK is not Ireland, they won’t have an Indian immigrant as their PM
@tommy: — Neither Varadkar nor Sunak are Indian immigrants.
@tommy:
Of course, the depressed areas that would have been eligible for EU funding have to get down on their knees to beg the Tories for a few quid, and most if not all of those areas voted to leave the EU.
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