Did Rishi Sunak’s interview gamble pay off?

Rishi Sunak took a major risk tonight, agreeing to a one-on-one interview with Andrew Neil on Channel 4 News. As Katy Balls says on our reaction podcast, more often than not politicians come crawling out of Neil’s interviews. At best, they hope to survive them.

Tonight Sunak faced the most detailed grilling on his economy agenda since the leadership contest began. There was very limited time for Sunak’s personal stories or the rehearsed slogans that both candidates have taken to repeating on the campaign trail. It was instead a serious scrutiny of Sunak’s plan to stick with tax hikes and fiscal restraint.

Neil’s main questions were about timing and priorities: no one is asking you to borrow lots more money, he said to Sunak, but why push for tax hikes when all the West is teetering on recession. Sunak insisted he was doing what was necessary from the fiscal side to get inflation – nearing double digits – under control.