Rishi Sunak's blunt response as Piers Morgan asks if he's 'stinking rich'
Piers Morgan tried to get Rishi Sunak to be open and honest about his financial situation on Thursday night.
During an interview to mark 100 days since the Prime Minister entered 10 Downing Street, former Good Morning Britain presenter, Piers created an awkward moment thanks to asking Sunak if he is "stinking rich".
Liz Truss' successor - who is rumoured to be a billionaire - looked uncomfortable with the questioning and left a notable silence before delivering his blunt reply.
Sunak and his wife, Akshata Murty, are thought to be sitting on a combined worth of about £730m - a fortune many think makes Sunak 'too rich' to lead the country while many struggle during a cost of living crisis.
The Prime Minister became the first the first frontline politician to ever be included in the Sunday Times Rich List of the UK’s wealthiest people last year, and his combined fortune with wife Akshata is over double the estimated £300m-£350m wealth of King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort.
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Rishi Sunak was visibly uncomfortable as Piers Morgan asked him just how rich he is (Talk TV/Youtube)But Sunak isn't exactly keen to admit he is at least millionaire several times over - refusing to confirm or deny if he is a billionaire during his chat with Piers.
"You're stinking rich, right?" Piers asked the Prime Minister during their TalkTV interview.
After a long, painful pause Sunak replied: "Well, I think most people would consider I'm financially fortunate, yes."
The politician - whose wife is the daughter of one of India's richest men - continued to tell his interviewer how it was important to understand what his values are.
Sunak's wife is the daughter of a billionaire (PA)"Am I financially lucky today? I am… most people would consider I am very financially fortunate," Sunak added, after discussing the fact he was "brought up by parents who emigrated to this country."
Piers pushed the 'financially lucky' politician to reveal at least a rough figure for his wealth but Sunak refused to divulge if he is a billionaire or just a multi-millionaire.
"I'm not going get into that," Sunak bluntly declared. "What matters about that is not how much is in my bank account, what matters are my values and what actions I take for the country."
TalkTV viewers spotted just how awkward the moment was during Thursday night's broadcast (Talk TV/Youtube)Suank tied the knot with his wife in 2009, who is the daughter of NR Narayana Murthy, founder of the Indian multinational IT services company Infosys, who is worth an estimated £3.8bn. Akshata is reported to have a £690m stake in the family firm.
The Prime Minister and his wife are personally worth £730m, according to The Sunday Times Rich List.
Taking to Twitter as Piers and Sunak's interview aired on Thursday night, many Britons spotted the 'awkward' moment the Prime Minister was grilled about his finances.
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Piers was accused of being 'too soft' during the interview (Talk TV/Youtube)"'Financially fortunate' means you won the lottery mate," one declared online as Piers shared a clip of the exchange with his followers.
Another told Piers: "I wish you had pushed him on this. Why is it important? Because he clearly cannot relate to 99% of the UK population with such a huge amount of wealth. He doesn't struggle to heat his pool, but most struggle to hear their home.
"He had to sit and think - what does stinking rich mean - oh how he tries to understand working class lingo - a man of the people LOL," a third quipped, as another noted the tension as they tweeted: "Is it just me or can you actually hear the awkward gulp?
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