Critics mocked Sunak for asking a homeless man if he is in business. The critics are wrong | Simon Hattenstone and Daniel Lavelle
The PM has a track record for being out of touch, but people with failed enterprises do end up homeless – and the problem may well get worse
When Rishi Sunak asked Dean, a homeless man at a shelter, whether he was in business and wanted to get into the finance industry, many liberals were quick to ridicule him. Angela Rayner gleefully posted the video, calling it “excruciating”. The shadow levelling up secretary, Lisa Nandy, said: “How much more out of touch could this prime minister be?” Those of a more sympathetic disposition called the conversation “awkward”.
Of course, Sunak has a well-earned reputation for not being in touch with the “common people”. In a 2001 BBC documentary, the then-21-year-old Sunak boasted of the breadth of his friendships. He said: “I have friends who are aristocrats, I have friends who are upper-class, I have friends who are, you know, working-class,” before correcting himself immediately. “Well, not working class.”
