Rishi Sunak talks General Election on LBC: 5 key takeaways

Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak was up early today to join Nick Ferrari in the LBC studio for a 60 minute grilling on his time as Prime Minster, the Conservatives' election manifesto and the future of the party.

Sunak took questions on millionaire Tory backers shifting their support to Labour, if he would serve as a back-bencher, whether Nigel Farage would be welcomed into the Tories, why young people should be excited about National Service and much more.

Here are five highlights of the interview.

Frank Hester apology on offensive Diane Abbott comments ‘should be accepted’

Earlier this year, the former government faced controversy when it was revealed donor Frank Hester, who had given the party £10 million in the past year, had made racist comments about Labour politician Diane Abbott.

He later apologised, and as far as Rishi Sunak is concerned, that was the end of the story.

“What he said was wrong, it was unacceptable and it was incredibly hurtful. That’s why it’s right he apologised,” Sunak said.

“If people are generally contrite and sorry for what they’ve done, that should be accepted.

He added that the Conservatives would not be returning any of the money Hester had given.

Government didn’t make the progress Rishi Sunak wanted on NHS waiting lists

The former PM was faced with laughter from a studio audience during an ITV debate with Labour leader Keir Starmer earlier this year, when challenged on a rise in NHS waiting lists from 7.2 to 7.5 million people.

Sunak claimed they were “coming down because they were higher”.

Today, he repeated his claim that they are being reduced, but not at the speed he might have hoped.

“We haven’t made as much progress on waiting lists as I’d like. They are coming down now and I’m confident they’ll keep coming down,” he said.

“Inflation didn’t come down in a straight line.”

He was speaking on the same day as news broke that UK inflation had dropped to the Bank of England’s target 2% for the first time in three years.

“We had a pandemic which meant something like six million referrals didn’t happen,” Sunak added.

“It’s not going to be fixed overnight as those people come back to the NHS.”

He also claimed he is thanked every week for his work during the Covid-19 pandemic by people he meets.

‘I am a friend to the LGBTQ+ community’

During the LBC interview, Sunak was challenged on his relationship with the LGBTQ+ community, having previously faced criticism for never wearing an AIDS ribbon in the House of Commons, and comments made about trans people in front of Brianna Ghey’s mother during a visit to Parliament.

He insists, however, that he is a “friend” to the LGBTQ+ community, and believes “everyone should be treated with compassion and sensitivity”.

“I don’t have them [ribbons or pins] on any day The poppy is the one thing I do wear,” he said to a caller who disclosed their HIV status while speaking to the PM.

“I don’t want to say some causes are more important than others. I don’t want anyone to ever feel offended.”

He stated he believes in reforming the 2010 Equality Act to refer to “biological sex” and claims the Brianna Grey incident was a direct attack on Keir Starmer, and no one else.

Rwanda: ‘UK will become the soft-touch of Europe if plan is scrapped’

The Conservative government’s plan to deport illegal migrants has so far cost UK taxpayers hundreds of millions, and resulted in just one person voluntarily relocating there after a failed asylum request.

Sunak insists the Rwanda plan is the “only” way to reduce the number of asylum seekers trying to enter the UK

“If you care about stopping the boats, I’m the only one who can do it,” he said.

“The only way to solve this is have a deterrent, so they won’t get to stay.”

Keir Starmer and the Labour Party promised, in its election manifesto, to scrap the Rwanda plan, which Sunak says will make the UK “the soft-touch of Europe”, claiming that “multiple other countries approve of our approach”.

Pledge to end food bank use with ‘good economy and good jobs’

When challenged by a caller on the enormous rise in food bank use across the UK during the Conservatives 14 years in power, Sunak had one clear solution: a strong economy.

He also spoke highly of the services food banks provide and the people who work in them.

“When it comes to food banks I’m always incredibly grateful to anyone who support them,” he said.

“They provide an important service to so many vulnerable people across the country.”

He added he would like to see fewer food banks in the UK, and wanted to achieve that with future tax cuts.

“Practical measures to help people are to make sure they have good jobs that pay them well, and that their taxes are cut so they have more money,” he added.