Every world leader these days needs to have a pet. Joe Biden has a pair of out-of-control German Shepherds that are busily biting their way through the president’s secret service guards; Boris Johnson had Dilyn, a Jack Russell which was as well trained as its owner; and Rishi Sunak owns Nova, a Red Fox labrador. The Prime Minister has been pictured working hard while stroking the dog. But does Sunak actually like his pet? Comments made by the PM at a fringe event at Tory conference suggest not.

The PM told a Women2Win event that after enlisting the help of his wife and kids to get him elected, he begrudgingly rewarded them by giving them a dog.

‘Ultimately I found myself at Pets at Home buying stuff for a brand new Labrador puppy that I didn’t want in the first place,’ he said.

Sunak’s comments come just a few weeks after he enraged dog owners by announcing a crackdown on Bully XLs. Oh dear. Man’s best friend is no friend of Sunak’s, it seems…