CUMBRIAN Conservative Party members attended a talk from former chancellor Rishi Sunak this week as he hit the campaign trail during his bid to be the next Prime Minister.

Mr Sunak is set to face Foreign Secretary Liz Truss in a vote this September to determine which of them replaces Boris Johnson as leader of the Conservative Party and therefore Prime Minister.

The former Chancellor of the Exchequer visited The Auctioneer in Carlisle on Monday to speak to local Conservatives and make his case for their vote.

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The visit was just one stop on a tour of the North West which has seen Mr Sunak meet about 700 members of his party.

And a Carlisle member of the Conservative Party, James White asked Mr Sunak for assurance that he would appoint a minister to address the issues military veterans face.

Mr White said: “I’m fortunate to have met both Liz and now Rishi.

“Rishi clearly has statesman like gravitas and seems to me to be the right choice of PM to represent the UK on the international stage.

“Switching topics easily, he was surprisingly well informed regarding a number of local issues in Cumbria.

“Additionally, as a military veteran, I was pleased he gave assurance that a Minister for Veterans’ Affairs will continue in a Sunak cabinet.

“Just as well as he has both Catterick Garrison and RAF Leeming in his constituency, an impressive showing, he has my vote.”

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