All the times tetchy Rishi Sunak lost his cool when forced to defend his record
Rishi Sunak is known for being image-conscious.
From his efforts to build “brand Rishi” when he was Chancellor, to his attempts to cast himself as a safe pair of hands after Liz Truss's chaotic stint in No10. But despite his best efforts, he's started to develop an unfortunate reputation for being thin-skinned and tetchy when grilled on his Government’s record.
He may be on edge due to the Tories' dire poll ratings and his plummeting popularity, which has tanked to a similar level to Boris Johnson when he was ousted by his own MPs.
But its bad news for Downing Street. His tetchiness could be a serious problem with Britain now in an election year, where the Prime Minister will be tested like never before. Interactions with the public are hard to control, as many politicians have learned to their cost. And there will be intense media scrutiny over his record - and the legacy of almost 14 years of Tory rule.
Rishi Sunak will be tested like never before as the country gears up for a general election in 2024 (UK PARLIAMENT/AFP via Getty Imag)In a recent interview with The Spectator, Mr Sunak denied claims that he was tetchy. Asked about the accusation, he said: “I don’t understand that… “I am fighting for the things I believe in. There’s nothing tetchy. But I am passionate. When things are not working the way I want them to work, of course I’m going to be frustrated.”
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With hopes of meeting his promises to grow the economy, stop the boats and slash NHS waiting lists looking increasingly remote, the PM is likely to have cause for frustration.
Here are some of the times he lost his cool this year.
Liaison Committee clash
Rishi Sunak appeared close to losing his rag during a bruising encounter with the Commons Liaison Committee when Parliament broke up for Christmas.
Confronted by Labour MP Liam Byrne over whether he lies awake worrying about the poor, the mega-rich PM retorted: “No, I want to make sure that we can reduce economic inequality and spread opportunity - and I am pleased that we are making progress on that.”
He also clashed with independent MP Angus MacNeil during a grilling over energy prices, the cost-of-living crisis and economic growth. Under pressure, the PM snapped back: “I’m just answering your question, which I think I am allowed to do.”
Snarling during PMQs
An unfortunate image of Mr Sunak snarling during a heated exchange in the final Prime Minister’s Questions of 2023 went viral.
Keir Starmer had accused the Prime Minister of being “tone deaf” to the plight of 140,000 homeless children in the UK this Christmas and shared the story of 11-year-old Liam, who said all he wanted was a “forever home”. Mr Sunak ignored the question and ranted about Labour’s record on housing.
He said: “If he really cared about building homes, when there was an opportunity in this house to reform defective EU laws, to unlock 100,000 new homes, what did he do? “He went in front of the camera and said one thing and then came in here and blocked it. Typical shameless opportunism.”
An image of him shouting at the Labour leader was widely shared on Twitter, and picked up by Labour’s press office account.
Elgin marbles tantrum
In a strop that made international headlines, the Prime Minister scrapped a meeting with the Greek Prime Minister in a row over the Elgin Marbles.
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The 2,500-year-old sculptures were brought to the UK from the Parthenon, in Athens, by diplomat Lord Elgin in the 19th Century - and are subject to a long-standing ownership dispute with Greece.
Mr Sunak was due to meet Kyriakos Mitsotakis in No10 in November 2023 but cancelled at the last minute after the Greek leader gave an interview to the BBC where he compared keeping the artefacts in the UK to cutting the Mona Lisa in half.
No10 said Mr Sunak pulled the plug as he had been given assurances that Mr Mitsotakis wouldn’t discuss the sculptures publicly. But his tantrum caused a major diplomatic incident - and days of bad headlines for Mr Sunak all over the world.
Word cloud confrontation
The Prime Minister was told how voters really view him in a tense interview with the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg at the start of Tory Conference in October last year. The word cloud included "rich", "himself", "the rich", "money", "not sure", "no idea", "upper class", "greed", "don't know", "Britain'', and "elite".
The presenter told him: “You can see there, rightly or wrongly, what many people associate with you is your personal wealth. What does that make you think? Does that worry you if people might think you’re out of touch?
A clearly-annoyed Mr Sunak said : “My job is to deliver for people. We’ve been talking a lot about this net zero decision ...”
Good Morning Scotland row over short-haul flights
The jet-setting Prime Minister got into a row with a Good Morning Scotland presenter last summer who asked him about his love of short-haul flights. Mr Sunak flew to Aberdeenshire to confirm plans for new North Sea oil and gas drilling - and a new multi-million pound carbon capture project to offset some of the environmental impact.
But he got short with the presenter when asked why he’d chosen to fly there to make a green energy announcement. "Every Prime Minister before me has also used planes to travel around the UK because it's an efficient use of time for the person running the country,” he said.
“So I can keep focusing on delivering for the people. But if your approach to climate change is to say no one should go on holiday, no one should take a plane, I think you are completely and utterly wrong."
The presenter replied: "Am I?" The PM then said the Government was investing in sustainable aviation before ending the interview.
Snapping over Suella Braverman's speeding fine
Mr Sunak got grouchy with journalists who tried to press him about claims Suella Braverman tried to get officials to help her avoid a fine by arranging a private speed awareness course.
During a press conference in Hiroshima, Japan, in May 2023, a clearly-annoyed PM dodged questions about the scandal. He snapped at the BBC's Chris Mason for asking about it, saying: "Do you have any questions about the summit?" Mr Sunak then refused to answer questions from ITV and Sky News on the row.
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