Rishi Sunak says he doesn't have 'working class friends' in 2001 video, clip goes viral

Rishi Sunak in a screengrab from the BBC documentary.

A 2001 video showing Rishi Sunak saying he does not have "working-class friends" has resurfaced and gone viral on social media. The former Finance Minister of the British government is currently one of the front runners for the Prime Minister's post.

The clip has been taken from BBC's series Middle Classes: Their Rise & Sprawl which featured Sunak's interview.

"I have friends who are aristocrats, I have friends who are upper-class, I have friends who are, you know, working-class. Well, not working class," he said in the BBC documentary.

"I have friends who are aristocrats, friends who are upper class and friends who are working class....well not WORKING CLASS!"#RishiSunak 2001 pic.twitter.com/5MRVadFcwa

— Kathryn Franklin (@DerbyDuck) July 8, 2022

In a longer clip from the documentary, Sunak also said, "I mix and match and then I go to see kids from an inner-city state school and tell them to apply to Oxford and talk to them about people like me. And then I shock them at the end of chatting to them for half an hour and tell them I was at Winchester and one of my best friends is from Eton or whatever. And then they're like: 'Oh. Okay.'"

The full Sunak clip is even more toe-curling pic.twitter.com/vIVI6UTPun — Conor Gogarty (@ConorGogarty) July 9, 2022

While Twitter seemed to be divided over their opinion of Sunak after the clip resurfaced, most appeared to think that this Prime Ministerial candidate is far removed from the lives of working-class people to understand their problems amid an economic crisis and solve it.

"When you're so far removed from the lives of working-class people, you're incapable of truly understanding the depth of the current economic crisis, let alone capable of solving it," tweeted writer Taj Ali.

"The cost of living crisis, where struggling families are having to choose between heating or eating is a daily lived reality for many in this country and it's a reality that many in positions of power and influence simply do not share. If they did, things would be different."

Read more: Rishi Sunak's wife Akshata Murthy served tea to journalists. Why some found it 'tone-deaf'

There were also those who defended Sunak and said that a clip from 20 years ago cannot be held against the man now.

"Rishi Sunak is 42 years old and this interview is from 2001. Therefore half his lifetime ago. This clip tells you more about the make up of Winchester College and Oxford University than his understanding of issues," commented lawyer Alexander Rose.

Sunak had on July 8 declared his candidacy to become Conservative leader and Britain's next Prime Minister, days after helping to kickstart the cabinet revolt that led to Boris Johnson's downfall.

He resigned his role as the Finance Minister on July 5, prompting dozens of colleagues to follow suit in 36 hours and forcing his former boss to then quit as leader of the ruling Conservatives.

Read more: Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman, the two Indian-origin contenders in UK PM race