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Rishi Sunak is receiving pelters left, right, and centre this weekend, after it was revealed that he made a miserly contribution to a school auction in his constituency. As reported by The Mirror, The Leyburn Primary School was conducting a fundraising drive to buy new computers.
The school’s IT infrastructure is in desperate need of an upgrade. Parents and teachers clubbed together to organise a raffle alongside the auction. When they received a response from the PM, hopes were high that a bumper donation was on its way.
However, the PTA was left shocked by what arrived. A cheap bottle of wine with ‘House of Commons’ branding was all Sunak had to offer. In what appears to be an attempt to boost the value of the item, Rishi also added his signature to the label.
According to Mel Wise, who represents the school’s Parent-Teacher Association, the thought behind the donation was ‘shocking’. She even admitted that Sunak’s potential contribution was earmarked for the auction, but instead, it was lumped in with the £1 raffle prizes.
Some critics have argued that it ‘would have been better to give nothing’. Others, however, have spotted a glaring double-standard in Mr. Sunak’s charitable actions. Adam Bienkov, of the Byline Times, noted that he gave MILLIONS to an American college only last month…
“So after giving $3 million to his wife’s already wealthy US College, in order to buy them a state-of-the-art computing lab named after him, Rishi Sunak gives a £10 raffle prize to his local state primary still struggling to replace 15-year-old computers.” | Adam Bienkov
Following the donation to Claremont McKenna College in California – where Rishi Sunak’s wife previously studied – the institution named their revamped computer lab after the 44-year-old Prime Minister.
We doubt the staff at Leyburn Primary are considering a similar gesture. Meanwhile, Prem Sikka – Emeritus Professor of Accounting at the University of Essex – also lambasted Sunak for his tight-fisted domestic donation.
“Rishi Sunak gave a £10 bottle of wine to a school raffle. Meanwhile, £10 in cash would have bought a plastic bucket to catch water from leaky roof. Real school spending per pupil is less than in 2010. Thousands of children go hungry.” | Prem Sikka
