Rishi Sunak surprised commuters by selling poppies at Westminster tube station in central London.
The Prime Minister joined several army personnel and civil servant Stephen le Roux at around 8am on Thursday to raise money for the Royal British Legion (RBL)’s annual Poppy Appeal.
During the brief appearance, to which no media were invited, Mr Sunak was seen holding a tray of poppies and speaking to members of the public.
The RBL said it was “grateful to the Prime Minister for generously giving up his time to do pickups with us during the morning rush hour”.
Others were also quick to express their surprise at the Prime Minister’s appearance.
Tory MP Andrew Stephenson wrote: “Lovely to see Prime Minister @RishiSunak selling poppies for @PoppyLegion at Westminster tube station on his way to work this morning.”
Lewis, an operations and data analyst who did not want to give his surname, said he bought a poppy from Mr Sunak for £5.
“I didn’t expect to meet the guy,” he told the PA news agency.
“I went to buy my ticket to Westminster Station and he was there selling poppies with the soldiers.”
Lewis said that although he had criticised the way Mr Sunak had ousted Boris, he had “proven himself to be quite OK”, adding that he was “down to earth” and “approachable”.
“I was surprised he was there at Westminster tube station,” he added.
Another commuter tweeted: “My dad just met Rishi Sunak in Westminster… he was selling poppies…”
RBL aims to raise £1 million for London Poppy Day on Thursday.
Events in the capital include RBL Ambassador Ross Kemp joining members of the Irish Guards in rallying the troops at Horse Guards Parade.
Meanwhile, thousands of Army, Navy and RAF personnel are joining Poppy Appeal collectors in distributing poppies and collecting donations at Network Rail and Transport for London stations, offices and on the streets of the capital.
In addition, the voice of EastEnders star Shane Ritchie will be heard throughout the London Underground network, inviting passengers to participate in a recorded loudspeaker announcement.
The RBL launched its annual fundraising appeal last week with an installation consisting of a giant red wall covered with paper flowers telling the stories of members of the armed forces community.
People can support the appeal by buying a poppy, donating via britishlegion.org.uk or taking part in a 5k charity poppy run.
