Cabinet has not given up on election, Sunak insists

Rishi Sunak has insisted his Cabinet has “definitely not” given up on Thursday’s general election after one of his ministers appeared to admit defeat.

Mel Stride, the Work and Pensions Secretary, said in an interview Labour will likely win “the largest majority any party has ever achieved” at a general election.

It comes as polls continue to show the Tories trail Sir Keir Starmer’s party by around 20 percentage points, with Mr Stride suggesting a Labour victory could surpass 1997 and 1931.

Asked on a visit to a primary school in Hampshire whether he was the “only one” around the Cabinet table who had not “resigned themselves to defeat”, Mr Sunak said: “No, that’s definitely not right.

“And look, you’ve seen the analysis that shows just 130,000 people switching their votes can make the difference in this election. Every vote matters.

“Lots of people want to say it’s a foregone conclusion, but I don’t take that approach, right? Until the last moment I will be taking the same message to everyone I meet. If you want your taxes cut, your pensions protected and your borders secure, just get out there and vote Conservative.”

He added: “I’m fighting for what I believe, for the country, I want everyone to understand the choice and what will be, will be after that.”

Mr Sunak was also asked about an article for The Telegraph by Suella Braverman, his former home secretary, that attacked his record on net zero, migration and taxes, calling on the Tory Party to rediscover its “soul”.

The Prime Minister said: “Lots of people in this campaign, lots of commentary, I’m just focused on getting our message across.

“I’d just ask everyone to separate those frustrations they understandably have with me, the party and the past with what a Labour government would mean for them and their family.

“I don’t think people can afford to pay thousands of pounds in higher taxes, I really don’t… What has happened has happened. You can’t change the past, you can change the future.”

Asked about a surprise campaign appearance by Boris Johnson on Tuesday, where the two men did not share a stage, Mr Sunak highlighted the event as an example of Tory unity.

Pressed on whether he spent any time with the former prime minister, he said: “Yeah, of course, I did, I had a very good chat with him.

“What you saw was all Conservatives united in warning what Keir Starmer would mean, undoing all the progress we have made, and as Boris rightly pointed out, just at the moment when we have got through Covid, the impact of the war in Ukraine and we’re cutting people’s taxes and can look forward to a better future, we’d throw all that away if Keir Starmer was in power… It was great to have Boris there last night.”

Mr Johnson has played a limited role in the campaign, during which he has holidayed in Sardinia and until Monday stayed away from events involving Mr Sunak.