Rishi Sunak has said he is “just trying to stay at the crease” and “not get out” when asked by Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby about his leadership ambitions.
It was put to the chancellor that Boris Johnson once said, referring to his leadership intentions, that if a ball came loose from the back of the scrum “it would be a great, great thing to have a crack at”.
Asked if this would be his position too, Mr Sunak said that there is “a lot going on” at the moment and that he is “really focused” on doing his job as well as he can.
“Well actually the PM is more of a rugby fan and I’m much more of a cricket and football fan, so I don’t know what the appropriate analogy is,” the chancellor said.
“But, look, as we talked about, at the moment there is a lot going on. There’s a big job to do – and I’m really focused on doing that job as well as I can.”
Sunak trying to ‘keep in place and not get out’
Asked if he would catch the metaphorical cricket ball if it came at him, Mr Sunak replied: “At this point, I’m just trying to stay at the crease and keep in place and not get out.”
Probed further on whether he would try and score a goal if the metaphorical football was at his feet, the chancellor said: “We’re stretching these analogies.
“Again I’ve managed to do more cricket nets that I’ve played football in the last year.
“So it’s my one bit of relaxation now, go and do the odd cricket net.”
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PM’s position seemed under threat amid partygate scandal
At the start of this year, Mr Johnson’s position as prime minister looked in jeopardy following his admission that he attended a Downing Street garden party during England’s first national lockdown.
It came on top of a series of scandals under his leadership around COVID rule breaches, lobbying and the funding for the refurbishment of his flat.
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In February, five of the PM’s aides quit in the course of 24 hours.
Several Conservative MPs publicly called for Mr Johnson to go in the aftermath of the partygate scandal which saw events held in Downing Street and across Whitehall when COVID rules were in place, currently being investigated by the Met Police.
The Conservative Party rules state that at least 15% of Tory MPs must write a no-confidence letter to make a leadership challenge possible.
Inevitably, questions began being asked about who might replace the prime minister if he were to leave Downing Street, with Mr Sunak increasingly being touted as a leadership challenge contender.
But as focus turned to the outbreak of war in Ukraine, some MPs publicly announced they had withdrawn their no-confidence letters and the pressure surrounding Mr Johnson’s position as PM seemed to have lowered.
Sunak announces fuel tax cut and raises NI threshold in spring statement
Mr Sunak’s interview with Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby comes a day after he unveiled his spring statement in the Commons.
In his fiscal statement, the chancellor raised the national insurance threshold by £3,000 and announced a cut in fuel duty tax by 5p a litre in an attempt to ease the burden of the cost of living crisis.
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But the announcements come against the backdrop of the biggest fall in living standards in generations.
The Office for Budget Responsibility said inflation and new taxes will mean “real household disposable incomes per person (will) fall by 2.2% in 2022-23”, the biggest drop in a single year since records began in 1956.
Unveiling his spring statement in the Commons, the chancellor announced that he is increasing the level at which workers start paying national insurance to £12,570 to ease the burden on the low paid.
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The chancellor had been under pressure to scrap the health and social care levy – effectively an increase in national insurance payments – which involves serious increases in tax payments for most families next month.
Mr Sunak insisted that the levy will stay despite rising inflation rates, but told MPs: “A long-term funding solution for the NHS and social care is not incompatible with reducing taxes on working families.”
He also said a cut in fuel duty of 5p a litre will be in place for a year as petrol costs continue to rise.
Beth Rigby Interviews is on at 9pm tonight on Sky News.