Chancellor Rishi Sunak has been forced to declare his belief in the Union after reports he told colleagues “England should break away” from the UK.
Mr Sunak, who has been in post at the Treasury for just under two months, has rubbished claims that he once argued the UK did not “make financial sense”.
The 39-year-old Chancellor, in a post on social media, said he was a “strong believer” in the Union and any claims otherwise were “false”.
There are some comments about the Union falsely attributed to me in the FT today.
My parents moved to the United Kingdom, not England, because the Union represented an idea of opportunity. I am a strong believer in our union of four nations. Hope that clarifies that!
— rishisunak (@RishiSunak) April 2, 2020
The comments came after a profile piece published in the Financial Times quoted a Conservative colleague’s recollection of a conversation with the young minister.
The source told the paper: “I remember discussing the future of the Union with Rishi and he argued that England should break away. He was advocating the end of the UK because it doesn’t make financial sense to him.
“He doesn’t have any love for the institution and I suspect he looks at it as he looks at anything: what’s the profit?”
Mr Sunak responded by tweeting: “There are some comments about the Union falsely attributed to me in the FT today.
“My parents moved to the United Kingdom, not England, because the Union represented an idea of opportunity. I am a strong believer in our union of four nations. Hope that clarifies that!”