Rishi Sunak says he is proud of disastrous election campaign - and claims he will win

Most bizarre moments from 2024 General Election campaigning

Rishi Sunak has said he is “proud” of his disastrous election campaign - and claimed he would win Thursday’s general election.

The prime minister has come under fire in recent weeks for a series of calamities that included a rain-soaked announcement of polling day, leaving D-Day commemorations early and a gambling scandal.

But in a crunch interview with just days to go before the vote, Mr Sunak told the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg show "this campaign is something I am very proud of" as he sought to highlight Labour’s plans.

He also said he believes he will win the election. Asked whether he thought he would still be prime Minister on Friday, he said: “Yes. I’m fighting very hard and I think people are waking up to the real danger of what a Labour government means.”

The Leave-campaigning Tory leader also admitted that Brexit has been bad for many British businesses.

He was confronted by comments by his ministerial colleague Kevin Hollinrake that there was “no doubt” exporting to the EU had been made more difficult by the UK’s exit.

Mr Hollinrake said: “There’s no doubt, for some businesses, it is more difficult to trade with the European Union. There is no doubt that is the case.”

He went on to pick out businesses in the food and drink sector, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises.

Asked about his remarks the prime minister said: “Of course when you leave the Single Market and the Customs Union that is going to change our trading relationships.”

He added: “But we have the most deepest, bilateral free trade agreement with the European continent that any nation has anywhere around the world.”

He also claimed there was a “clear difference” between his handling of the racism row surrounding Tory donor Frank Hester and how Nigel Farage responded to racist comments made about the PM by a Reform UK canvasser.

On the programme, he was shown a message from a viewer expressed concern that Mr Sunak’s stance on racism had not been zero-tolerance and pointed to the Hester row.

The donor, from whom the party has continued to accept donations, allegedly said Labour MP Diane Abbott “should be shot” and that she made him “want to hate all black women”.

Mr Sunak said: “I think it’s reasonable when someone is genuinely contrite about what’s happened, accepts what they’ve done is wrong, then that apology is accepted.”

He added: “The difference here is... Nigel Farage has just described these comments as ‘inappropriate’.

“They’re not inappropriate. They were vile and racist and wrong, but he’s only said that they’re inappropriate.

“The person who made them has only apologised to the Reform Party for the impact it’s had on them. It’s a very clear difference. There’s no contrition or remorse or acceptance of what’s happened in that case.”