Rishi Sunak brutally instructed to his face ‘issues are infinitely worse underneath Tories’

Rishi Sunak has been skewered by workers on a campaign visit to a factory, with one telling him things are “infinitely worse” under the Tories.

The under-fire PM, who is desperately trying to overturn a massive gulf in the polls, was challenged over “unacceptable” foodbank use. And to make matters worse for him, staff at the Derbyshire pottery cheered as he was urged to tax millionaires and billionaires more.

It came after Mr Sunak conceded many might be “hesitant” about backing the Tories again. A woman who works there told him: “Things are infinitely worse than they were in 2010 .”

As he stammered that tax cuts would make things easier, workers applauded as a member staff told him: “You need to tax the millionaires and billionaires”. The brutal exchange saw a woman tell him: “What I’d like to know is why you feel that we should vote for another four years of Tory government, when in the last 14 years you haven’t managed to make a good impression on our country?

“Things are infinitely worse than they were in 2010. I remember it very well, my first daughter was born then. In 2010, 60,000 people used food banks, and last year that was recorded at almost three million. That’s not acceptable.”

The PM stammered: “I don’t want anyone to have to use a foodbank, of course I don’t, but I’m also very grateful to all those people who volunteer at them, who support them so that they are there for those who need them. And they do a brilliant job. And I’m very grateful to them.

“But this election, as I said, look – there’s lots of frustrations that you and others will have about some things in the past. And I’m not going to go over everything that I think we’ve done to make a difference. But this election is about the future. And if you care about financial security for families, that’s what I will deliver, because no one is going to be helped by taxes going up.”

A woman was heard saying: “You need to tax the millionaires and billionaires”. Mr Sunak responded: “Actually the proportion of tax paid by the richest people in income tax is higher today than it was in 2010… so that’s already happening.”

It comes days after the boss at supermarket chain Iceland claimed the PM told him that raising the plight of struggling families was “not helpful”. Richard Walker, who has switched his support to Labour, also alleged he was barred from standing as a Tory candidate after upsetting senior figures in the party by speaking out.

In an interview with The Mirror Mr Walker claimed he was given a roasting by Mr Sunak for speaking out about soaring foodbank use. The retail chief said the then-Chancellor was angry at having to “face questions” on the scandal.

Mr Walker, who quit the Tories last year, said of the March 2022 meeting with Mr Sunak: “At the end [of the meeting] he said, ‘There is one other thing. When you said you wanted to be a Tory candidate, I was shocked, because I just thought you were some Leftie, because your comments about foodbanks on the day of my spring statement were not helpful because I was having to answer questions in parliament about it.’ I thought I had gone in for a pat on the head, and I was getting a bit of a b******ing.”

He went on: “He was clearly quite p***ed off. It really wound him up.”