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Kate Plummer
Oct 24, 2022
Rishi Sunak boasts about taking money from 'deprived urban areas' to help ...
Indy
Footage of Rishi Sunak bragging about "undoing" measures that give funding to "deprived urban areas" has resurfaced in light of his renewed leadership bid.
In footage obtained exclusively by the New Statesman, Sunak is shown addressing Tories in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, on July 29 and saying areas like it "deserve" more cash.
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He said:
"I managed to start changing the funding formulas, to make sure areas that like this are getting the funding that 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."
\u201cEXCLUSIVE: In a leaked video, Rishi Sunak boasted to Conservative Party members that he was prepared to take public money out of \u201cdeprived urban areas\u201d to help wealthy towns.\n\n@REWearmouth reports: https://t.co/uZMpjKm6rG\u201d— The New Statesman (@The New Statesman) 1659689412
Tunbridge Wells, in Kent, has a Conservative majority of 14,645 and has been held by the party since its creation in 1974. In 2020 it was ranked Kent's least deprived county, according to the government's own figures from the Multiple Deprivation Index
The footage was widely criticised at the time. For instance, 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..."
While, Lord Zac Goldsmith said: “This is one of the weirdest – and dumbest – things I’ve ever heard from a politician.”
Now that Liz Truss has resigned and it looks like Sunak could become the next prime minister given how much support he has from his MPs, the video is resurfacing on Twitter with people condemning his comments again.
\u201cThe key critiques of Rishi Sunak's fitness for office are his "Eat Out To Help Out" policy - a vanity project that likely caused avoidable deaths: https://t.co/6y0CG5kNk6 - and his boast of taking money from deprived urban areas and giving it to Tunbridge Wells. Not his identity.\u201d— Musa Okwonga (@Musa Okwonga) 1666598601
\u201cRishi Sunak, the next in a long line of Tories who only stand to line the pockets of the rich. \n\nProud of undoing funding being allocated to 'deprived urban areas' i.e. the people who actually need help. \n\nHow anyone can vote Tory, and live with their decision, baffles me.\u201d— Fitzy (@Fitzy) 1666602934
\u201cRemember when Rishi Sunak was caught saying what we all knew?\n\nHe boasted Tory Govt siphoned taxpayers\u2019 money away from \u201cdeprived urban areas\u201d into wealthy ones.\n\nHe was the Chancellor who made sure \u2018levelling up\u2019 was just another empty Tory slogan. #GEnow\nhttps://t.co/gHFMwNVPHl\u201d— Sarah Owen MP (@Sarah Owen MP) 1666597141
\u201cToday another Tory will be crowned PM without a single one of us having a say in it.\n\nLet us take a minute and remind ourselves of Rishi Sunak's brag about "undoing" measures that give funding to "deprived urban areas".\n\n#ToriesOut109 #GeneralElectionNow\n\nhttps://t.co/ipdH1RHbX1\u201d— Chirpy Chet (@Chirpy Chet) 1666597446
\u201cRishi Sunak is being portrayed as the 'sensible' candidate, the 'moderate and slick' candidate. This is the same man who boasted about how as chancellor he took money away from 'deprived urban areas' to help wealthy towns. \n\nSuch policies aren't sensible or moderate.\u201d— Basit Mahmood (@Basit Mahmood) 1666427808
\u201cFormer banker and billionaire Rishi Sunak is the richest MP in parliament, with his wealth exceeding \u00a3700 million. He boasted about taking money from \u201cdeprived urban areas\u201d to help wealthy towns. He is so far removed from the struggles of the working-class. We deserve better.\u201d— Taj Ali (@Taj Ali) 1666556604
\u201cAs Chancellor Rishi Sunak, the richest man in parliament, took public money out of \u201cdeprived urban areas\u201d to help wealthy towns.\n\nSunak, Johnson, Mordaunt & Tories have increased poverty, forced people to rely upon charity.\n\nSay no to another Tory Govt.\nhttps://t.co/dBkHJT7vsH\u201d— Prem Sikka (@Prem Sikka) 1666556142
\u201cWhen people show you who they are, believe them the first time.\n#GeneralElectionN0W \n\n*Rishi Sunak boasts of taking money from \u201cdeprived urban areas\u201d to help wealthy*\nhttps://t.co/pMWOhrlYrV\u201d— Angela Rayner \ud83c\udf39 (@Angela Rayner \ud83c\udf39) 1666594437
At the time, Sunak’s campaign defended the video.
“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 spokesperson told indy100.
“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.”
It is a simple and fundamental principle that the government derives its democratic legitimacy from the people. The future of the country must not be decided by plotting and U-turns at Westminster; it must be decided by the people in a general election. And for this reason The Independent is calling for an election to be held. Have your say and sign our election petition by clicking here.
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