Watch: Rishi Sunak sells poppies at London subway station, leaving commuters surprised

(Image credit: @Andrew4Pendle/Twitter)

Commuters at London's Westminster Tube station were on Thursday delighted to find Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in their midst.

He was at the station to sell poppies as part of a fundraising initiative. In many countries, artificial flowers called remembrance poppies are worn in in honour of soldiers. This merchandise is sold to raise funds for veterans' welfare.

Sunak joined army personnel in the London Poppy Day appeal given by the Royal British Legion.

A commuter named Lewis took a selfie with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who was selling poppies for the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal 2022, at Westminster tube station.#RishiSunak#PoppyAppeal@SonOfTheWindshttps://t.co/gM0Dr9nG5Xpic.twitter.com/g7cwnjNONu

— London Live (@LondonLive) November 3, 2022

Sunak was seen carrying a box with paper poppies. He also wore a flower on a black jacket.

Good to see the Prime Minister @RishiSunak selling poppies for @PoppyLegion at Westminster tube station on my way into work this morning. pic.twitter.com/hImCwXPRIr

— Rt Hon Andrew Stephenson MP (@Andrew4Pendle) November 3, 2022

"I went to buy my ticket at Westminster Station and he was there selling poppies with the military men and women," a commuter told the BBC. "I didn't expect to meet the chap," he said.

He said he found Sunak to be approachable and humble. But the man said he did not like the way Sunak "ousted" Boris Johnson.

Johnson had blamed Sunak for causing resignations in his government, after he himself quit as finance minister in July. He then offered support to Liz Truss in the race to succeed him.

Truss was appointed to the top post in September. But she quit just in less than two months, saying she could not deliver the mandate to slash taxes and boost economic growth, the BBC reported.

Following Truss' resignation, Sunak became the PM. His appointment was historic since he is the first person of Indian descent to lead the UK.