Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is among the UK’s richest politicians – however he would not like being informed.
The multimillionaire Tory, who will announce his Spring Budget assertion in the present day, as soon as misplaced his rag on the radio after being confronted along with his huge private wealth. Back in 2019, Mr Hunt appeared on BBC Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine present the place the host described him because the “richest man in Cabinet” throughout a dialogue about his enterprise previous.
At the time, Mr Hunt was co-owner of an Italian vacation residence and owned an workplace constructing in London and a rental empire of seven flats in Southampton. He had additionally made a reputed £14million when he bought his stake in schooling agency Hotcourses in 2017. But regardless of his clear wealth, Mr Hunt didn’t take the remark from Jeremy properly.
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Channel 5)
Jeremy stated: “I gather you’re the richest member of the Cabinet”, to which Mr Hunt misplaced his cool after what gave the impression to be a reasonably benign assertion. He replied: “Hang on. My salary while I was running my business was a lot lower than your salary now.” To which Jeremy replied: “But I am not in Cabinet.”
Mr Hunt wasn’t giving up and urged the radio host to not get into “the politics of envy”. A barely confused Jeremy then defined that certainly it’s a “compliment” about his often-mentioned enterprise background. He stated: “I was just pointing out that you were a business person who made some money that is all.”
He added: “I love the way you immediately think that it is critical.” But Mr Hunt replied: “No you weren’t. You brought up that fact which may or may not be true – I have no idea. A lot of people would say if we start labelling people like that in a way which says that kind of thing is not a compliment we are not going to be a successful country.”
A baffled Jeremy responded: “I am amazed.” Mr Hunt lastly relented and stated that if Jeremy “really meant it as a compliment” he would take it. Audibly livid Mr Hunt added: “Thank you Jeremy for instead of saying I was successful and set up a business and created 200 jobs that you said I was the richest man in Cabinet.
“And if that was meant as a praise – which I someway doubt – then thanks for that very beneficiant praise.” To which Jeremy replied: “Wow.” Earlier in the campaign, Mr Hunt – who is the son of an Admiral and a graduate of both prestigious private school Charterhouse and Magdalen College, Oxford – spoke about his “each day grind to remain alive” as a young entrepreneur.