Rishi Sunak’s wealth is not a problem for his role as chancellor, according to the environment secretary George Eustice as the fallout over his finances continues.
Sunak’s reputation was called into question in the last week after his wife was found to be using a legal loophole to avoid paying UK tax on her hefty overseas income, although she has now promised to do so.
The chancellor himself only returned his US green card to the States last October, raising questions about his loyalty to the UK.
These revelations about Sunak, a millionaire in his own right and allegedly the richest member of parliament, have come just as the UK is grappling with the cost of living crisis exacerbated by the chancellor’s decision to raise taxes.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4′s Today programme on Monday, presenter Justin Webb asked Eustice: “Is Rishi Sunak too rich, and indeed potentially to be a leader of your party?”
He replied: “Well my personal view is that people should judge every member of the cabinet and government and MPs on their performance in the role.
“I don’t think it’s right that you should have a rule that says you’re too wealthy to be able to do a role – what matters is the knowledge and technical expertise you have.
“My personal view is that Rishi Sunak, as chancellor, has performed incredibly well in some very difficult circumstances, charting our economy through the pandemic, making sure we had the right support for our economy during that difficult period.”
Sunak did win over the some of the public during the successive lockdowns by introducing the furlough scheme and Eat Out to Help Out programme.
However, that support seems to have completely dissipated following he announced few measures to help the struggling public in his spring statement.
Back on Radio 4, Webb pointed out: “He obviously has not lived, financially speaking, anything like the ordinary life that the overwhelming majority of the people in the country live.
“Does that matter, do you think, politically? Should it matter, Can it matter?”
“You can’t walk a mile in everyone’s shoes,” Eustice replied. “All of us have different perspectives, different experiences in life.
“For any MP, let alone minister, the single most important thing is an ability to empathise for people who might have had experiences or challenges in life that you personally have not experienced.”
The cabinet minister said that weekly surgeries with their constituents expose them to these different perspectives and claimed: “That’s what keeps politicians generally quite grounded and it’s what all of us have – the ability to empathise and understand things, even if we might not have experienced them directly.”
Sunak has since referred himself to the ministerial watchdog for an investigation into his finances, in a bid to clear his name.