Rishi Sunak should be judged on his record in government rather than his wealth, a senior minister has insisted.
John Glen, the paymaster general who attends cabinet, was questioned on the subject after Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty’s personal wealth was recorded at £651 million on the Sunday Times Rich List.
That was up £122 million from £529 million in 2023, and mainly due to Murty’s shares in Infosys — the Indian IT giant co-founded by her father.
The ranking indicates that the PM and Murty are richer than the King.
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Responding to this point, Glen said: “It is for others to comment on that, that is a private matter”.
He told Sky News: “I have explained that he had a successful career before he entered Parliament and a lot of his wealth isn’t due to him personally.
“But I can say that when I have been working with him in government, his focus has been on delivering for the most vulnerable in difficult times, even in once-in-a-century events like what happened with Covid.”
The paymaster general also implored the public to judge the PM on his record in government.
Asked how Sunak could relate to a single mother living in Wigan, given the scale of his wealth, Glen told Sky News: “I think Rishi Sunak needs to be judged on what decisions he has made as a government minister.
“I was sat with him in the Treasury during Covid where he within a matter of days set up the process for the furlough scheme, for bounce back loans, for additional money for our public services.
“I know Rishi Sunak very well, I interviewed him 10 years ago to be an MP. He had a successful career before he entered parliament and he met and fell in love with somebody whose father had set up a very successful IT services firm.
“What he needs to be judged on as prime minister is what he delivers for the people of this country.”
Sunak became the first front-line politician to feature on the Sunday Times‘ annual wealth list in its 35-year history when he appeared on it as chancellor in the 2022 edition.
At that point, the family’s wealth was estimated at £730 million.
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