Rishi Sunak Pledges To Put Government On 'Crisis Footing' If Elected

Former chancellor Rishi Sunak told 'The Times' in an interview that a business-as-usual approach would not work in the face of the serious economic challenges facing the country.

Rishi Sunak has unleashed an intense campaign spree this weekend in his mission to win the Conservative Party members' votes to be elected their leader and on Saturday pledged to put the UK on a "crisis footing" if elected prime minister.

The 42-year-old former chancellor told 'The Times' in an interview that a business-as-usual approach would not work in the face of the serious economic challenges facing the country.

"Having been inside government I think the system just isn't working as well as it should. And the challenges that I'm talking about, they're not abstract, they're not things that are coming long down the track," he told the newspaper.

"They're challenges that are staring us in the face and a business-as-usual mentality isn't going to cut it in dealing with them. So, from day one of being in office I'm going to put us on a crisis footing," he said.