At last, Rishi says: I believe him

... but asked if he supports Boris, he just walks away

RISHI Sunak faced renewed questions about his loyalty yesterday after he appeared to break off a TV interview when he was asked if Boris Johnson had his ‘unequivocal support’.

The Chancellor has faced criticism in recent days for remaining almost silent on the crisis engulfing the Prime Minister.

The interview – Mr Sunak’s first intervention in the controversy for almost a week – lasted only a couple of minutes.

He said he believed the Prime Minister’s explanation that he was not warned in advance about a No10 drinks party during lockdown in May 2020.

The Chancellor also gave ‘full support’ to the PM’s ‘request for patience’ while Whitehall ethics chief Sue Gray investigates the party culture in No10.

And Mr Sunak abruptly rose to leave when he was asked whether the PM had his ‘unequivocal support’.

The Chancellor ignored the question and left so quickly that he forgot to remove his microphone, exclaiming ‘gosh’ when he realised it was still attached.

An ally last night said it was ‘unfair’ to criticise his decision to leave the interview at what appeared to be a critical moment. It is understood he had agreed to answer three questions and left after answering five.

One source stressed that the purpose of the interview was to show support for the PM. When asked if he believed Mr Johnson, he said: ‘Of course I do. The Prime Minister set out his understanding of this matter last week in Parliament. I refer you to his words.

‘Sue Gray is conducting an inquiry into this matter and I fully support the Prime Minister’s requests for patience while that concludes.’

Asked if the Prime Minister should resign if he lied to Parliament, Mr Sunak said: ‘I am not going to get into hypotheticals, the ministerial code is clear on these matters.’

An ally of the Chancellor pointed out that his words were similar to those used by some other Cabinet ministers. But they were notably less enthusiastic than some of the PM’s closest allies.

Chief Whip Mark Spencer yesterday told reporters the PM was a ‘hero’ for getting Britain out of the pandemic ‘faster than any country’.

Mr Sunak is the bookmakers’ favourite to succeed Mr Johnson if the ‘partygate’ row sparks a leadership contest.

Allies insist he remains loyal to the PM and is not positioning himself to be leader.