How did Rishi Sunak vote on Brexit - leave or remain?

Rishi Sunak is the UK's fifth Prime Minister in six years, so it's no surprise the public want to know everything they can about him (opens in new tab) - including how he voted on Brexit.

We've seen two Conservative leadership contests in almost as many months, and the public have been keen to know more about the politics of the potential future leaders, from whether Liz Truss voted leave or remain to did Penny Mordaunt support Brexit.

And much like the public is also keen to know why is Keir Starmer a Sir (opens in new tab), the new PM is also drawing curiosity around his history, with questions around his net worth (opens in new tab), his wife and even his height doing the rounds - so we've done some digging to find out how he voted on Brexit.

How did Rishi Sunak vote on Brexit - leave or remain?

Rishi Sunak voted to leave the EU, and has almost always voted for pro-Brexit policies in Parliament, including voting to leave without a withdrawal agreement in April 2019.

At the Conservative Party conference in 2021, Sunak gave a speech saying he was told back in 2016 that if he voted for Brexit, his political career would be 'over before it had even begun'. He went on to say "I put my principles first," adding that he was proud to back Brexit because "the agility, flexibility and freedom provided by Brexit will be more valuable in a 21st Century global economy than just proximity to a market."

What has Rishi Sunak said about Brexit?

Announcing his intention to vote leave, Rishi Sunak said "This is a once in a generation opportunity for our country to take back control of its destiny," adding "I believe that our nation will be freer, fairer and more prosperous outside the EU." 

However, in March 2022 the then-chancellor admitted that Brexit is likely to be one of the reasons for the UK's slump in trade. Speaking to the House of Commons Treasury Committee, Sunak said "It was always inevitable that there would be a change in our trade intensity with Europe as a result of a change in the trading relationship. That was expected and unsurprising."

However, he added that it is difficult to 'disentangle' the impact of Brexit from that of the pandemic, adding that the government intends to open up trade with the rest of the world.

His views will further be scrutinised when the leadership TV debates take place (opens in new tab), which will be crucial in gaining support for the vote from the Conservative Party membership, after which the new Prime Minister will be announced (opens in new tab).

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