Rishi Sunak, who won most votes in the second round of voting to succeed Boris Johnson as leader of the Conservative Party and prime minister, dismissed suggestions on Thursday that he was too rich to run UK in an economic downturn, saying he could take on tough challenges.

Sunak said he did not judge people by their bank accounts, but by their character and hoped others would do the same. Asked if he understood financial pressures in the UK, he told BBC Radio, “When the pandemic hit, I understood full well the impact it could have on millions of people up and down the country.”