Rishi Sunak has been widely mocked for appearing to ask a homeless man at a shelter whether he works in business.
The prime minister was serving food at the homeless shelter in London when he struck up a conversation with a man named Dean — which Labour branded “excruciating”.
Dean asked the prime minister, who was serving food: “Are you sorting the economy out?
Sunak replied: “That is exactly what I am trying to do.”
Dean then went on to say that sorting the economy would be good for business, which prompted Sunak to ask: “Do you have… do you work in business?”
“No, I’m homeless,” he replied. “I am actually a homeless person. But I am interested in business.”
The prime minister then went on to explain how he used to work in finance and that jobs in the centre could be found around the country.
He then asks whether Dean would like to get the business of law associations after he expressed an interest in them.
Dean replied: “Yeah I wouldn’t mind, but, I don’t know, I’d like to get through Christmas first.”
Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner said the exchange was “excruciating” while Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow work and pensions secretary, branded Sunak the “Alan Partridge PM”.
Journalist Isabel Oakeshott said the exchange was “very strange indeed” and accused the prime minister of failing to show “any curiosity or compassion”.