Rishi Sunak likens himself to Will Smith in defence of his wife
Rishi Sunak has compared himself to Will Smith as the chancellor defended his wife against criticism over financial links to Russia, saying: “At least I didn’t get up and slap anybody.”
Sunak has come under mounting pressure over accusations that his wife is collecting “blood money” in dividends from a family company that continues to operate in Russia despite the invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking to the BBC’s Newscast after a challenging week in which his spring statement also met heavy criticism, he said it was “very upsetting and … wrong for people to try and come at my wife”.
Sunak drew parallels with Smith, who hit the comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars on Sunday after a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, as well as the beleaguered England cricket captain, Joe Root.
The chancellor quipped: “Someone said, ‘Joe Root, Will Smith, and me – not the best of weekends for any of us’. But I feel, on reflection, both Will Smith and me having our wives attacked – at least I didn’t get up and slap anybody, which is good.”
Sunak’s wife, Akshata Murthy, who keeps a low public profile, is the daughter of the billionaire founder of Indian tech giant Infosys. According to its latest annual report, Murthy holds a stake in the firm worth approximately £690m, which is estimated to have yielded £11.5m in dividend payments over the past year.
Labour and the Liberal Democrats have criticised Sunak over his wife’s investment in the firm, with the shadow transport secretary, Louise Haigh, calling it “really quite shocking”.
Asked about such comments, Sunak said: “You know, I think it’s totally fine for people to take shots at me. It’s fair game … It’s very upsetting and, I think, wrong for people to try and come at my wife.”
He also defended his
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