Rishi Sunak has said he will “of course” stay on as an MP if the Conservatives lose the next general election, in his first remarks about what he would do in that scenario.
Asked on ITV’s Loose Women whether he loved the job enough to carry on in those circumstances, the prime minister said: “Yes of course I’m staying, I love being an MP, I love my constituents, I love my home in North Yorkshire, it’s wonderful – and I love being able to get back there.”
Sunak lived in California in his 20s and early 30s before entering politics, and met his wife, Akshata Murty, at Stanford business school. Last summer Sunak and Murty took their daughters to Santa Monica for their summer holiday. The couple still own an apartment in Santa Monica, and there has been speculation in Westminster that they would move back there if the Conservatives lost the election. Sunak’s interest in technology and AI has led to suggestions he could get a job in Silicon Valley.
But Sunak’s comments on Thursday suggest – assuming he does not lose his own seat as well – he intends to stay on as the MP for Richmond in North Yorkshire if he is no longer prime minister.
Some of his predecessors as prime minister have stayed in parliament: Liz Truss has remained as the MP for South West Norfolk even after resigning from the leadership in October 2022, having served the shortest tenure in history. Theresa May has stayed as the MP for Maidenhead and campaigned from the back benches since she quit Downing Street in July 2019, though she will be standing down at the next election.
Sunak would not be drawn on the date of the election, though he joked to one of the panellists on the TV show that if it happened in November, it would be “good for your holiday”. The autumn is seen as the most likely time, and is favoured by Tory strategists on the basis that the UK’s economic situation will have improved.
During his appearance on Loose Women, Sunak was asked why he hadn’t done more to help pensioners in the spring budget. The cut in national insurance does not benefit pensioners as the tax is only paid by those in work.
“I care deeply about pensioners because I also believe in a country that if you work hard all your life, then you should have the dignity and respect that you deserve in retirement,” the prime minister insisted. “It was a Conservative government that introduced the triple lock … lots of people criticised us for that.”
