'Out of touch' Rishi Sunak criticised for asking homeless man if he 'works in business'

The British prime minister's awkward exchange with the homeless man began when the man asked Mr Sunak if he was "sorting the economy out".

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak eats Christmas dinner with troops at the Tapa military base in Tapa, Estonia, on Monday 19 December 2022. Source: AAP / PA

KEY POINTS

• Mr Sunak was serving breakfast at a homeless shelter in London when he began chatting with a man who identified himself as Dean.
• His awkward exchange with the homeless man began when the man asks Mr Sunak if he's "sorting the economy out".
• Labour lawmaker Bill Esterson called Mr Sunak "out of touch" following the exchange.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faced criticism on Saturday for seeming out of touch with ordinary people when he asked a homeless man at a charity whether he "worked in business" and wanted to get into the finance industry.

Mr Sunak, a former Goldman Sachs banker and one of Britain's wealthiest people, was serving breakfast at a homeless shelter in London on Friday when he began chatting with a man who identified himself as Dean.

"Do you work in business?" the prime minister asks the man at one point during the conversation as he hands him a plate of sausages, toast and eggs.

"No, I'm homeless. I'm actually a homeless person," the man replies.

Angela Rayner, deputy leader of the opposition Labour Party, posted a clip of the exchange on Twitter, calling it "excruciating," while another Labour lawmaker, Bill Esterson, called Mr Sunak "out of touch".

His ascent to the British premiership in October made Mr Sunak the richest occupant of Number 10 Downing Street at a time when the country is struggling with a cost-of-living crisis.

The prime minister this week made surprise phone calls to British diplomats and military personnel around the world to give them Christmas wishes, his office said on Friday.

His awkward exchange with the homeless man began when the man asks Mr Sunak if he's "sorting the economy out".

When the homeless man then says he is interested in business and finance, Mr Sunak replies that he used to work in finance too, before asking: "Is that something you would like to get into?"

"Yeah, I wouldn't mind," says Dean. "But, I don't know, I'd like to get through Christmas first."