The Prime Minister took to the campaign trail in Sussex today (Monday 10) and said that he wouldn’t quit after leaving early from the D-Day commemorations last week for a TV interview.
Rishi Sunak was asked whether he had considered resigning during a visit to the Dog and Bacon pub in Horsham.
Mr Sunak said: “No, of course not. I’m energised about the vision that we’re putting forward for the country.
“This campaign is not even halfway through yet and I’m finding an enormous amount of support for the policies that we’re putting on the table – whether it’s a modern form of national service, the ‘triple lock plus’, 100,000 new apprenticeships, continuing to cut taxes for people.
“These are all things that people want to see. I believe I’ve got the right plan for the country.”
People from all parties and none – including some fellow Conservatives – criticised Mr Sunak for his early return from the commemorations in Normandy.
He said: “People are going to say what they’re going to say. There are lots of people who want to write me off, write this off, say this campaign or the election is a foregone conclusion.
“They’ve been saying that, by the way, ever since I’ve got this job. Not since this election campaign.
“The reality is I’m not going to stop going. I’m not going to stop fighting for people’s votes. I’m not going to stop fighting for the future of our country.”
The Prime Minister said that he “absolutely didn’t mean to cause anyone any hurt or upset”.
He added: “I just hope people can find it in their hearts to forgive me and look at my actions that I have taken as Prime Minister both to support our armed forces with an increase in defence spending but also have a minister focused on veterans’ affairs around the cabinet table, making sure this is the best country in the world to be a veteran.”
As well as his visit to Horsham – a target seat for the Liberal Democrats – Mr Sunak spent time in Crawley where his party won by just over 8,000 votes in 2019.
Henry Smith, 55, the former West Sussex County Council leader who won the seat for the Tories in 2010, is not standing again. Former Crawley Borough Council leader Peter Lamb hopes to beat the Conservative candidate Zack Ali on Thursday 4 July.
Crawley has been a bellwether seat since it was created in 1983, with the constituency result matching the general election outcome every time.
