Rishi Sunak’s new small boat problem: Lib Dems photobomb PM on the River Thames after spotting him campaigning in the same affluent seat ahead of the election
His premiership was dominated by small boat problems, but Rishi Sunak must have thought he was safe on the River Thames today.
But even in central England he could not escape the irritation caused by small watercraft.
The Prime Minister and his team chose England’s longest waterway as the backdrop for a campaign visit to Henley, where the Channel migrant crisis was not on the agenda.
But nevertheless the visit to a rowing club was marred by unwanted visitors on the water – in the form of a photobombing boat full of Liberal Democrats.
The Prime Minister was noticed by Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper, while also campaigning in Oxfordshire, as part of the party’s attack on Tory Blue wall chairs.
And she soon gathered a party of banner-waving activists who rode past behind the oblivious Mr Sunak, in full view of the television cameras following his path.
A Lib Dem source said: ‘This is just another small boat that Rishi Sunak can’t handle.’
The Prime Minister and his team chose England’s longest waterway as the backdrop for a campaign visit to Henley, where the Channel migrant crisis was not on the agenda.
The Prime Minister was spotted by Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper while she was also campaigning in Oxfordshire, as part of the party’s assault on Tory Blue Wall seats.
And she soon gathered a party of banner-waving activists who rode past behind the oblivious Mr Sunak, in full view of the television cameras following his path.
Henley has voted Tory since 1910, but Sir Ed Davey’s party believes this is a realistic target. It will be Henley and Thames, with changed boundaries, at the upcoming election under a recent boundary review.
As the Prime Minister visited a riverside rowing club and spoke to female members, Ms Cooper and her crew rode past on a boat.
The Lib Dem contingent, who were also campaigning in the same area, carried orange diamond-shaped voting signs during the incident and waved them at the Prime Minister and media following him during the visit.
Mr Sunak was accompanied on the visit by two Conservative candidates for nearby constituencies: Caroline Newton for Henley and Lucy Demery for Wokingham.
The Prime Minister cleaned the hull of a rowboat with club members and stopped for a cup of tea by the river, where he spoke to other members about their time at the club.
