Rishi Sunak said he was taken by surprise when he appeared to accept a £1,000 bet over the success of the Government’s Rwanda asylum scheme.
The Prime Minister has been criticised over the “depraved” wager with broadcaster Piers Morgan.
Mr Sunak denied the wager was a mistake but admitted he had been caught off guard when Morgan shook hands with him on the bet.
The TalkTV presenter offered the Prime Minister a £1,000 charity bet that ministers would not be able to send asylum seekers to Rwanda by the time of the election.
The Prime Minister faced questions about making the bet on a whim on such a controversial subject at a time when many households are struggling to make ends meet.
Mr Sunak told BBC Radio 5 Live: “I’m not a betting person and I was taken totally by surprise in the middle of that interview.”
Asked if it was a mistake, he said: “No, well the point I was trying to get across – as I was taken totally by surprise – the point I was trying to get across was actually about the Rwanda policy and about tackling illegal migration because it’s something I care deeply about.
“Obviously people have strong views on this and I just was underlining my absolute commitment to this policy and my desire to get it through Parliament, up and running, because I believe you need to have a deterrent.”
But a resurfaced clip suggests Sunak may have been lying about not being a betting man.
Here’s the PM boasting about his love of spread betting on Test Match Special:
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