'Where Is Jeremy Hunt?': BBC Presenter Asks If Chancellor 'Has Been Silenced' As Inflation Falls Again
A Tory cabinet minister was asked if Jeremy Hunt has been “silenced” by party bosses as he battles to avoid a humiliating election defeat.
The chancellor has hardly been seen as part of the Conservatives’ national campaign, despite his stewardship of the economy being a central part of the Tory message.
Bizarrely, Hunt posted a message on X (formerly Twitter) about the phone signal in his constituency just minutes after official data revealed the rate of inflation has fallen to the Bank of England target of 2%.
It took him more than hour to finally react to the news, saying it had happened because “we stuck to the plan”.
He added: “There’s more to do, but the last thing families need now is an unaccountable Labour government with a big majority putting up their taxes.”
However, Hunt’s absence from the national airwaves throughout the election was raised by BBC Breakfast presenter John Kay as he interviewed work and pensions secretary Mel Stride this morning.
He said: “I’m fascinated to know, where is Jeremy Hunt? Lovely as it is to be joined by you, we’ve spoken to you several times [but] hardly seen Jeremy Hunt at all.
“I’m just looking at his Twitter account. He’s posted this morning, on a day when we’ve had these inflation figures, about the terrible phone reception in the constituency that he’s fighting, but nothing about the economy. Has he been silenced?”
Stride replied: “No, not at all. I’m actually speaking to you from my constituency ... and like Jeremy every day I’m out knocking on doors, speaking to constituents here. We’re fighting for every single vote in our constituencies up and down the country.”
Kay replied: “Well if you’re speaking to him, we’d love to have a chat.”