Rishi Sunak defends levelling up payments amid allegations of ‘favouritism’ – UK politics live

LIVE – Updated at 13:06 Latest updates: prime minister to make series of visits across north-east to promote levelling up funding.   13:06

Sunak is now taking questions from the media. Anushka Asthana from ITV goes first. She mentions a castle in Canterbury getting money, and asks why places like that are

benefiting. And she says Sunak has more cabinet minsters from Surrey than from the north of England. Is that why levelling up money is going to the south now? Sunak says

the north-west came top in terms of money, followed by the north-east. The north-west is getting twice as much per capita as London and the south-east, he says. And, as

for the cabinet, he says he wants ministers who will just get on with the job. And he says as prime minister is sits for one of the most northern constituencies

represented by a PM. If he does not deliver for his region, “it is hard for me to go home”.   13:05 Q: What is your response to James Dyson?

Sunak says of course growth is important. He says he wants jobs that pay well. And he says the government is cutting taxes for businesses. He says no other

country in the world has such a generous investment allowance for small and medium-sized businesses.   13:03 Q: Can you promise not to put up income tax before

the election? Sunak says when he was chancellor, he did not like the PM talking about tax policy. And he won’t today. But he says he favours low taxes. But the

public finances are not where they should be after Covid. He says people are not idiots; they understand that.