Rishi Sunak not 'taking day off' as Prime Minister campaigns ahead of General Election

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A minister has dismissed suggestions that Rishi Sunak is “taking the day off” as the Prime Minister campaigned in his constituency on Saturday morning.

Mr Sunak met local veterans in Yorkshire at the start of the weekend after completing a whistlestop two-day tour of the UK on Friday, though his plans for the rest of the day had been unclear.Treasury minister Bim Afolami confirmed the PM “will be campaigning” in the day as he was questioned about the weekend agenda on Sky News.

Asked whether the PM was “taking the day off” from the campaign trail, Mr Afolami told Sky News: “It’s not right. He’s going to be campaigning in Yorkshire.” Asked whether Mr Sunak has lots of events planned, he said: “I don’t know what he’s got planned but I know he’s campaigning in Yorkshire today.” The Prime Minister had a breakfast with local ex-servicemen in a Wetherspoons in Northallerton, in his Richmond constituency, in the morning.He joked that he avoided catching pneumonia after giving a rain-soaked statement outside 10 Downing Street in which he announced the July 4 election, but admitted he was not sure what state his suit was in.“That’s our tradition, the Prime Minister, in the big moments, they call the election and they go out there.

I thought, come rain or shine, it’s the right thing to do,” he told the veterans.“But no pneumonia yet, my suit on the other hand… I’m not quite sure what state it will be in when I get back down to London.”Labour had accused Mr Sunak of “hiding away in his mansion” while Sir Keir hit the doorsteps in the Midlands on Saturday after a report in the Guardian suggested that the Prime Minister was spending time away from the trail.But the Conservatives say any claim he is not out campaigning is inaccurate,