Rishi Sunak described as ‘elusive’ as the video shows him asking a homeless man if he’s ‘in business’

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A clip from ITV News on Twitter depicting the prime minister serving breakfast to a homeless man in a London shelter went viral with critics describing it as a “painful” exchange.

Rishi Sunak has come under fire for what critics described as a “painful” exchange with a homeless man.

In a video from his visit to a homeless shelter in London on Friday, the prime minister can be heard asking a man serving him food: “Are you in business?”

The man named Dean replied, “No, I am homeless. I am actually a homeless person.”

Labor deputy leader Angela Rayner tweeted on the ITV news clip, writing: “It hurts”.

The awkward exchange began when the millionaire Prime Minister was serving breakfast to the homeless, who asked him, “Are you sorting out the economy?”

Then Dean says he is interested in business, prompting Sunak to ask him what kind of business it is.

When Dean answered about finances, the prime minister said, “I’ve been in finance, actually.”

Mr. Sunak then asked, “Is this something you’d like to get into?”

“Yes, I don’t mind. But, I don’t know, I would like to have Christmas first,” said the homeless man.

Mr. Sunak asked: “What’s your plan, what are you going to do this weekend?”

Dean replied that he had hoped the homeless charity St Mungo would help him get temporary accommodation “so I’m not on the street”.

Mr Sunak was visiting a homeless shelter in London run by The Passage on Friday, where he praised the “fantastic work” being done to support people at Christmas.

He told broadcasters: “Most of us this weekend, this Christmas, will be inside, it will be warm, we will be safe, we will be with our families. But unfortunately that’s not true for everyone.”

This is why the government is investing a large amount to reduce the number of rough sleepers or homeless people.

Another Labor MP, Bill Estersohn, said the exchange showed Sunak was “out of touch”.

The government yesterday pledged to invest £654m to prevent homelessness over the next two years.

Councils across England will receive a share of the Homelessness Prevention Grant of £322.8m for 2023-4 and £331.3m for 2024-5 to help vulnerable families and people at risk of sleeping in rough conditions.

Appropriations for the next fiscal year will be available to councils from April.

The money will be used to provide temporary housing, help individuals at risk of homelessness pay deposits for new homes, and mediate with landlords to avoid evictions.

It also includes £24m to help provide temporary housing for victims of domestic violence and their children.

The funding forms part of the government’s £2 billion support package to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over three years, which was first announced in the spring.

Mr Sunak said on Friday: “The government is determined to end rough sleeping and tackle homelessness because the opportunity to celebrate Christmas in a warm and safe environment is out of reach for many people.

We know that words alone are not enough. That is why the government is investing £2 billion over the next three years to give some of the most vulnerable people a roof over their heads, along with targeted support to rebuild their lives.”

Rishi Sunak speaks to presenters at a homeless shelter in London after serving breakfasts to those in need

Matt Downey, chief executive of the charity Crisis, said: “These are desperate times for people struggling with rising rents and food and energy bills, so funding to ensure local councils can support people facing homelessness is most welcome.

But affordability of housing remains one of the biggest drivers of homelessness, and the ever-widening gap between housing benefit and rents remains one of the main reasons councils struggle to prevent people becoming homeless in the first place. Our research showed that only 12% of real estate was affordable for housing benefit recipients this year.

We need a strategic approach that prevents people from being pushed to the brink of homelessness in the first place. Only by investing in housing benefits, which have been frozen for three years, covering the real cost of rents, can we ensure that people have the best chance of finding and keeping a safe and affordable home.”

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