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Rishi Sunak has branded a “pound shop Nigel Farage” over his record on LGBTQ+ rights.
The prime minister was confronted by an angry caller during an excruciating hour-long LBC phone-in.
He had earlier been accused of “lying through your teeth” by one young voter, who accused the Tories of doing nothing to solve the housing crisis, improve the NHS or tackle climate change.
Another caller, Paul, told the PM: “You didn’t vote for gay marriage to be extended to Northern Ireland, you’ve never worn a ribbon on World Aids Day the last two years, and also you’ve behaved disgracefully when it comes to the trans community. And also you behaved disgracefully the day Brianna Ghey’s mum came to parliament.
“So is it fair to say you’re anti-LGBT rights, you don’t care about the HIV cause and that you’re obsessed with divisive culture wars?
“Personally, I think you’ve become a pound shop Nigel Farage and you’re not succeeding.”
Sunak replied: “Paul I’m very sorry to hear that you feel that way first of all. I’m sorry that you’ve been grappling with HIV as well, I know that’s not easy.
“All I’d say is I don’t believe that at all. I care very much about making sure that people, whatever their backgrounds, are respected and treated with compassions and sensitivity. That’s the type of country and society we are.
“It was the Conservative government that introduced same sex marriage, you’ll remember, which if I’d been in parliament I would have supported.”
Another caller, called Alistair, also condemned Sunak for keeping the money donated to the Tories by Frank Hester, who said Diane Abbott “made him want to hate all black women and should be shot”.
He said: “This effectively means that every Tory candidate and activist is, in some way, funded by racist money.
“How does that fit with your promise regarding integrity and accountability? And just saying that Frank Hester apologised really won’t cut it.”
Sunak replied: “What he said was wrong, it was unacceptable and I know it was incredibly hurtful, and that’s why it was right that he apologised.
“I also think if people are genuinely contrite, they’ve apologised and accept what they’ve done, that should be accepted.”
But Alistair replied: “That’s a bit like saying ‘well if Adolf Hitler had stood up and apologised, everything would have been alright’. It isn’t, is it, prime minister?”
Sunak told him that wasn’t “a fair comparison in any way, shape or form”.
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