24 November 2023 , 15:29
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Rishi Sunak has been ridiculed over a video circulating on social media appearing to show him using a hammer wrong.
The multi-millionaire Prime Minister seemed to be holding the hammer on its side as he tried to help make a piece of jewellery during a meeting with small business owners in Farsley, West Yorkshire, on Thursday.
Former Tory minister Nadine Dorries responded to the clip saying: "Nooooo way!! What is he doing? Is this the first PM ever who has never seen a hammer, or paid for petrol, or filled up his own car?"
In the clip, Mr Sunak is seated next to Emma White at The Emma White Jewellery Studio in Sunny Bank Mills. As the PM grins anxiously, the part he is bashing with the hammer fails move. Ms White jokingly raises her hands and says: "Come on!"
Labour posted a mocking video captioned "Man who hammers working people can't use a hammer". In a quip about Keir Starmer's frequent references to his dad's job, the party added: "Rishi Sunak: not the son of a toolmaker."
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Twitter users joked the alleged gaffe showed Mr Sunak had "nailed it" and it really "hammers home". Another quipped: "Tell me you've never seen a hammer before without telling me you've never seen a hammer before."
But others were quick to point out the unedited clip shows the craftswoman telling him to use it sideways.
It's not the first time the Prime Minister has been mocked for what appear to be out-of-touch gaffes. He was fined by police in January for not wearing a seatbelt in a moving car, which was spotted in a promo clip he posted to his official Instagram account. Other instances include him asking a homeless man whether he worked in business, and putting up his contactless card to an item scanner at a checkout when paying for petrol.
On his trip to Farsley - and the jewellery studio - the Prime Minister told reporters: "It's really exciting what's happening in Leeds. We're big backers of Leeds. You can see that in the investment that's gone into transport infrastructure, for example. Most of all, this is about backing the incredible people and businesses in Leeds and I've been talking to some of them here today."
Mr Sunak was also asked about the timetable for further devolution in the North, outlined in the Autumn Statement. "The good news is that devolution is actually being delivered by this Government," he said.
"That's empowering local leaders across the North, and particularly in Yorkshire , with the powers that they need and the funding alongside that to deliver for their local communities - something we're proud to be doing more of. And, we're keen to be having those discussion as soon as possible."