I avoided pneumonia but am not sure about state of suit: PM on speech in rain

Rishi Sunak has said he avoided catching pneumonia after getting wet while speaking outside 10 Downing Street but admitted to constituents he was not sure what state his suit was in.

The Prime Minister met local ex-servicemen at one of their regular Saturday breakfast meetings in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, in his Richmond constituency.

On a sunny morning, he met the group of eight veterans and sat in the Buck Inn, a Wetherspoons pub on the High Street, where the group were sipping tea and some tucked in to breakfasts.

Vicky Rudd, sat next to her husband Doug, from Richmond British Legion, asked Mr Sunak about his health, concerned he might have caught pneumonia “after seeing that picture” of the election announcement speech.

The Prime Minister replied: “It was wet.

“The number of people who have given me an umbrella over the last couple of days…”

He reflected it was still right to make the announcement in the rain, saying: “When the moments happen, that’s what you do.

“That’s our tradition, the Prime Minister, in the big moments, they call the election and they go out there.

“I thought, ‘come rain or shine, it’s the right thing to do’.

“But no pneumonia yet, my suit on the other hand… I’m not quite sure what state it will be in when I get back down to London.”

During the meeting, staff brought over six large breakfasts which caught the group by surprise. The Prime Minister did not tuck in but carried on sipping from his cup of tea.

Mr Sunak spoke to veterans, who were sat at two tables, for around 20 minutes and briefly chatted with other customers in the pub, some of whom were having breakfast and others having an early pint.

He did not take any questions from the media.