Tory leadership candidate Rishi Sunak has appeared in the North East tonight, and though his suit and tie were on point, the same could not be said for his shoes.
The candidate for Tory leader and Britain's next PM is facing off against Liz Truss at their first hustings debate in a traditionally Red Wall constituency, with the Conservatives gaining Darlington from Labour for the first time in 32 years at the December 2019. The debate is the fifth out of twelve debates that will take place in the lead-up to see who will take over from Boris Johnson in September.
And tonight, as he was on the stage at Darlington Hippodrome, an eagle-eyed photographer spotted that Sunak had a small hole in the sole of his left shoe and a rip in the side. The former chancellor's appearance is usually immaculate and he has even posed in the past with a £180 Bluetooth coffee mug.
Previously, Sunak has been blasted for being out of touch after he mentioned in an unearthed 2001 interview with the BBC that he had 'no working class friends.' And just last week, he triggered uproar when a video emerged of him boasting of stripping cash from "deprived urban areas" and pumping funds into wealthier areas.
He was caught on video in Tunbridge Wells bragging about rewriting Treasury formulas in guidelines known as the "Green Book" so he could inject taxpayers' money into more affluent towns. His rival Liz Truss also sparked fury after unveiling plans to pay dedicated public sector workers who lived in poor areas less, though she quickly made a U-turn.
Sunak and his wife, Akshata Murthy, have a joint £730 million fortune, putting them at number 222 on the Sunday Times Rich List, which ranks Britain's 1000 richest people.
At tonight's event, protesters outside the Darlington Hippodrome shouted "Tories fail the North" and had signs reading: "Brexit has failed," and "This Northerner says that's not levelling up!"
What do you think about the hole in Rishi Sunak's shoe? Let us know!
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