Rishi Sunak has said he fears for his daughter’s safety when he is alone, saying men have often taken their own freedoms for granted.
Sunak spoke candidly about his older daughter Krishna’s desire for more independence, but said he was disturbed by a series of crimes, including the murder of Olivia Pratt-Korbel, the nine-year-old girl shot to death in Liverpool.
He said he was determined to crack down on crime, including being prepared to put many more criminals behind bars and increase prison capacity.
“My eldest is at the age where she wants to walk on her own and that’s why we weren’t in that flat in Downing Street in this last term when I was chancellor,” Sunak told reporters this week. Krishna had hoped to start walking to school during his last term of primary school, a freedom that was eventually deemed impossible.
Sunak said he had been bothered by a series of crimes over the summer. “It brings home to you as a parent and over the summer the horrible things we read about with young Olivia, which we will all remember,” he said.
“I want to make sure my kids and everyone else can walk safely. That’s what any parent wants for their kids…in the past I’ve taken [safety] of course, and many of us as men. The events of the last year showed us that so many women and girls have not felt as safe as they should be.
“So addressing that and making it safer for people is something that is personally very important to me.”
Sunak said it was an ambition of his premiership to reduce crime. “I see it as part of leveling up,” he said. “It is often people who are in parts of the country who may feel they have been checked in the past, or who are from more disadvantaged backgrounds who are most impacted by crime.
“I want to deliver for these people. Putting more cops on the street to reduce crime in the neighborhood is incredibly important to me.”
But the Prime Minister said he was relaxed about the prospect of more people going to jail, which he said was “a logical consequence of catching more criminals … if you put more police on the street and tackle more crime, you’re going to” . to end more people in prison”.
Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you through the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning
Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertisements and content funded by third parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Sunak also spoke about his family’s adjustment to living in Downing Street, including moving back to the smaller flat the family lived in when he was chancellor and having hardly any time to see his family in the past fortnight since became prime minister.
“In a sense, it’s quite familiar to the family, so that bit has been easier than it would have been otherwise,” he said. “But it happened out of the blue so it was a bit of an adjustment for everyone and I’ve been working really hard night and day for the last couple of weeks because there’s a lot to get through… so I haven’t really had time to stop me. and think”.
Sunak said the moment he had begun to understand him was at the Remembrance Day service last Sunday. “Having the opportunity to do that as prime minister … that’s something I’ll never forget. So, among all the other work I have to do, it was a moment when for a few seconds I came to assume the responsibility I have in this new job, and it was a very special moment that I will not forget.”