Rishi Sunak said he was blindsided by the bet. (document)

London:

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Tuesday he was “surprised” as he explained why he agreed to a 1,000 pound ($1,255) bet that the British government would send asylum seekers to Rwanda before the next election.

The Prime Minister faced criticism from opposition parties who said the bet with broadcaster Piers Morgan was distasteful and showed he was out of touch with the concerns of ordinary voters.

Asylum seekers arriving on England’s south coast in small inflatable boats will be flown to Rwanda under the yet-to-be-implemented Rwanda plan.

On Tuesday, Rishi Sunak said he was blindsided by the bet but stopped short of admitting it was a mistake.

“I’m not a bookie and I was completely surprised during that interview,” he told the BBC. “The point I was trying to make – and I was totally surprised – was actually about Rwandan policy and addressing illegal immigration, which is something I care deeply about.”

So far, no asylum seekers have been sent to Rwanda as the plan has been blocked by the courts.

The government is currently trying to pass legislation through parliament to declare Rwanda a safe country for asylum seekers, overcoming legal hurdles in the courts.

The opposition Labor Party said the bet by Britain’s richest prime minister showed he did not understand the challenges faced by voters facing rising mortgages and food bills, while a senior SNP politician branded the bet “depraved”.

Asked if he understood the financial pressures facing ordinary households, Rishi Sunak said the first priority was to reduce inflation because the cost of living crisis was the most pressing issue facing most households.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)