Rishi Sunak has denied he is too rich to be prime minister, saying he does not “judge people by their bank accounts”.
In an interview with BBC Radio 4′s Today programme on Thursday morning, the frontrunner in the Conservative Party leadership contest sought to dismiss claims he was out of touch.
“As a Conservative is I believe in hard work and aspiration and that’s my story and if I’m prime minister then I’ll be making the case for that with vigour,” he said.
“I don’t judge people by their bank accounts, I judge them by their character and I think people can judge me by my actions over the past couple of years.”
Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty were featured in the Sunday Times’ rich list given their multi-million pound fortune.
During his time as chancellor, Sunak came under intense pressure over his wife’s previous non-dom tax status as well as the revelation he held a US green card while in government.
Amid signs his campaign is faltering, Sunak said he was “best person to beat Keir Starmer and the Labour Party” at the next general election.
Sunak received a boost on Wednesday when Jeremy Hunt threw his weight behind him.
But trade minister Penny Mordaunt has emerged as his leading rival, with momentum growing behind her campaign.
A YouGov survey showed Mordaunt was now the clear favourite for leader among Conservative Party members and that she would beat him if she faced him in the final two.
Liz Truss, the foreign secretary who is seeking to unite the right of the party against Sunak, also remains in a strong position.
In yesterday’s vote of Tory MPs, Sunak was on 88, Mordaunt on 67, Truss, 50, Kemi Badenoch, 40, Tom Tugendhat, 37 and Suella Braverman won 32.
Nadhim Zahawi won 25 and Hunt won only 18, which meant both were knocked out of the race as they failed to secure the backing of 30 MPs.
A second round of voting will take place today, with the result announced at 3pm. The candidate who comes in last place will be eliminated