A leaked video shows Rishi Sunak claiming that Treasury formulas “shoved all the funding into deprived urban areas” of the UK before he became chancellor.
He boasted to Conservative party members in Tunbridge Wells that he was clear the situation “needed to be undone” when he was in office.
And he bragged that he had directed money towards prosperous towns like theirs instead.
He said he had started changing public funding formulas to ensure more places like the south east town receive “the funding they deserve”.
The footage, obtained by the New Statesman magazine, was from an event with grassroots Tories last week. Labour denounced it as “scandalous” that Mr Sunak was “openly boasting that he fixed the rules to funnel taxpayers’ money to rich Tory shires”.
But Mr Sunak’s campaign defended the remarks, linking it to the government’s levelling up agenda.They said he had changed the rules on government spending to help towns and rural areas also in need of investment.
In the video, Mr Sunak told Tory party members who will choose either the former chancellor or his rival Lix Truss to be the next prime minister: “I managed to start changing the funding formulas, to make sure areas like this are getting the funding they deserve because we inherited a bunch of formulas from Labour that shoved all the funding into deprived urban areas and that needed to be undone.
“I started the work of undoing that.”
Labour’s shadow levelling up secretary Lisa Nandy said: “This is scandalous. Rishi Sunak is openly boasting that he fixed the rules to funnel taxpayers’ money to rich Tory shires.
“This is our money. It should be spent fairly and where it’s most needed – not used as a bribe to Tory members.
“Talk about showing your true colours…”
A source in Mr Sunak’s campaign said: “Levelling up isn’t just about city centres, it’s also about towns and rural areas all over the country that need help too. That’s what he changed in the green book and he will follow though as prime minister. ”
“Travelling around the country, he’s seen non-metropolitan areas that need better bus services, faster broadband or high quality schools. That’s what he’ll deliver as prime minister.”
Source: Independent
