Rishi Sunak said he intends to watch more cricket as he contemplates whether he is an “elder statesmen” at the age of 44.
The former prime minister joked that “life comes at you fast” on the Government benches as he advised new MPs they could have a “bright future behind you” sooner than expected.
Mr Sunak was elected as a Conservative MP in 2015 before swiftly finding himself on the frontbench and eventually serving as PM from October 2022 until July 5 this year.
He praised Labour MP Florence Eshalomi for her speech to second the humble address thanking the King for his speech to the Houses of Parliament to mark the start of the new session.
Mr Sunak noted the Oval cricket ground is in Ms Eshalomi’s Vauxhall and Camberwell Green constituency, telling the Commons: “Now that I have a lot more time on my hands I intend to be a regular visitor to her constituency, especially in the summer months.
“One of my favourite places to watch cricket is of course The Oval and as prime minister I had the privilege of playing there with the wonderful Ebony Rainford-Brent and the young black cricketers on the Ace programme.”
He also gave a nod to former prime minister Sir John Major’s appearance on Desert Island Discs, joking: “I won’t go as far as the last Conservative prime minister to speak from this despatch box, who proposed removing that part of her constituency to a desert island along with his eight favourite records.”
Turning to new MPs, Mr Sunak joked: “On the Government benches life comes at you fast.
“Soon you might be fortunate enough to be tapped on the shoulder and be offered a junior ministerial role, then you’ll find yourself attending cabinet, then in the cabinet and then when the prime minister’s position becomes untenable you might end up being called to the highest office.
“And before you know it, you have a bright future behind you and you’re left wondering whether you can credibly be an elder statesman at the age of 44.”
The MP for Richmond and Northallerton also made a joke related to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as he referenced the popularity of Labour MP Peter Dowd (Bootle), who proposed the humble address after the King’s Speech.
Mr Sunak noted Mr Dowd is the “most popular constituency MP”, adding: “Enjoying the biggest majority of any member of this place and in a recent election he even won an astonishing 84% of the vote.
“He might be the only person who can persuade Kim Jong Un of the benefits of democracy, although the people’s republic of Bootle doesn’t quite have the same ring to it.”
Mr Sunak also condemned abuse aimed at candidates during the General Election, saying: “The intimidation that some candidates received in this election – both physical and digital – was completely unacceptable and is a threat to our electoral process.
“There can be no excuse for threats of physical violence or intimidatory protest outside politicians’ homes.”
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