Gaffe-prone Rishi Sunak mocked after posing in 'Margaret Thatcher's car'

31 July 2023 , 12:09

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Rishi Sunak wrote that he was 'sat in Margaret Thatcher's old Rover'

Gaffe-prone Rishi Sunak has been mocked after another botched PR stunt saw him posing in "Margaret Thatcher's car" - which was actually used by her bodyguards.

The PM gleefully shared a photo of himself behind the wheel of a Rover P6 as he outlined his plans to woo motorists. But critics swiftly pointed out the vehicle was used by Special Branch officers on PM and royal protection duty - as Mrs Thatcher was instead ferried around in a Rover P5.

Mr Sunak has previously been embarrassed after struggling to pay for fuel after filling up a Ford Kia he'd borrowed from a Sainsbury's worker while Chancellor last year. He posed with the car during a photo op for his Spring Statement - but the millionaire Tory later had to admit it wasn't his.

Labour frontbencher Emily Thornberry branded it yet another "phony photo op" by the PM. Mr Sunak posted the photo on Twitter, writing: "Talking about freedom, sat in Margaret Thatcher's old Rover". He added that he is reviewing "anti-car schemes" across the country.

The car was used by Special Branch officers

But after it emerged that the car wasn't Mrs Thatcher's Prime Ministerial Rover, Shadow Attorney General Ms Thornberry told The Mirror: "Helicopter addict Rishi Sunak may be trying to reinvent himself as a man who understands ordinary motorists, but even his claim to be sitting in Margaret Thatcher's famous old Rover is now exposed as a fraud.

Out of touch Rishi Sunak doesn't regularly read papers or online news sites

"Why should anyone believe a single word this man says when he can't be trusted to tell the truth over something as simple as that? Whether filling up a car with petrol, or sitting in one, the only thing that Rishi Sunak has proven he is on the side of are phony photo ops."

The PM was pictured in the car at the Lark in the Park event in south London at the weekend (Getty Images)

The latest photo in "Thatcher's car" was taken at the Lark in the Park community event in Sidcup, south London, on Saturday. The PM was shown the car by Met Police officers who were manning a stall. No10 confirmed it was a Special Branch car, but pointed out that Mrs Thatcher had been in it.

The blue 1973 Special Branch Rover P6 V8 3500S is part of the Metropolitan Police Historic Vehicle Collection. The bulletproof car was a popular choice for Met detectives, and similar vehicles featured on hit TV drama The Sweeney in the 1970s.

A police factsheet at the event about the car said: "This vehicle spent its entire life as a royalty and prime ministerial protection vehicle. The P6s were not popular on Government transport or ambassadorial duties, due to the lack of space. The police, however, couldn't get enough of them, especially the V8 3500 like this one."

Margaret Thatcher rode around on a Rover V5 before switching to Jaguars (PA)

And it continued: "This vehicle was used to carry the prime ministers between 1973 and 1983, including Margaret Thatcher. This Iron Lady has certainly seen some action!"

Last year a black 1973 Rover V5 which transported Mrs Thatcher to Buckingham Palace when she became PM sold at auction for a whopping £36,000.

And in 2018 a Jaguar XJ8 LWB 'Armoured' Saloon used in Mrs Thatcher's final years went for £27,000, wih auctioneers claiming all previous official cars had been disposed of. The auction details read: "There were many official cars used by Margaret Thatcher during her time in office as Prime Minister and subsequently as ex-Prime Minster, but this Jaguar is the only official car used by her that can be substantiated. All of the previous official cars went through secure disposal and are no longer in existence."

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Dave Burke