Rishi Sunak has said the “inner conviction” that he is doing the right thing helps him through the “trickier days” in No 10.
The British prime minister said it was an “incredible privilege” despite the drawbacks that come with being in the public eye.
During a Conservative Home interview, Mr Sunak also discussed his Hindu faith and said he had a Lord Ganesh statue on his desk in Downing Street.
Asked why he endured the hostile press and intrusions into his private life that came with being UK prime minister, rather than having a successful, lower-profile career elsewhere, Mr Sunak said it was a “great question… one I ask myself on a regular basis”.
He said: “I think, fundamentally, most people who do these jobs do them out of a sense of public service.
“We’re in these jobs, accepting that they come with all the drawbacks that you mentioned, but they also come with this incredible privilege and opportunity to make a difference to people’s lives.”
Asked about his faith, he said: “On my desk, I have a Lord Ganesh, which is very common.”
He said that when people start a job or business “typically you would offer a prayer to Lord Ganesh because he brings you good luck when you start a new venture”.
“When I became chancellor I did that, so Ganesh has been with me from the time I was chancellor and then moved over to my desk in No 10 as well.”
