Photo: Twitter
Rishi Sunak might end up with a nosebleed after coming this far up north. The Prime Minister was on a charm offensive earlier today – but it doesn’t appear to have done him much good.
Footage shared by Manchester Evening News captured the moment the Tory leader was booed and heckled by members of the public during his visit, as he hot-footed it towards his getaway vehicle.
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Mr Sunak, who said there will be a general election this year, spoke to local Conservative activists at an Italian restaurant, La Dolce Vita in Stockport. The town is based in the Hazel Grove constituency – a seat currently held by the Tories.
He was challenged on falling life expectancy and widening GCSE grades in schools in the North compared to the South of England, but he denied the Conservatives have given up on trying to redress the North-South divide.
Though Rishi Sunak was able to put on a fairly slick performance in the controlled environment of the media event, his exposure to voters outside of the restaurant was a much more chastening experience.
Though the crowds outside were modest, they were also fairly vocal. The smattering of locals on the street made their feelings clear, loudly booing the Prime Minister and telling him to ‘resign’ and ‘leave now’. One person can also be heard bellowing ‘get out, Sunak’.
The top Tory was bundled into a Range Rover and escorted from the scene, left in no doubt what this particular group think of him. With an election coming up later this year, Rishi Sunak will have to move heaven and earth to get these critics back onside.
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