‘My Wife Loves You,’ Sunak Tells Maker of £2,600 Designer Handbags
Rishi Sunak has praised luxury handbag maker Anya Hindmarch for helping him with gift ideas for his wife.
At a networking event with business leaders organised by Downing Street, the Prime Minister told the London-based designer: “Thank you for everything you’ve done for our country… and thank you also, I should say, probably, for providing me with great birthday and Christmas presents for my wife over the years.”
His comments came in response to a question from Ms Hindmarch, whose bags can cost up to £2,600 each. Smaller bags by the British designer are available for as little as £125, however.
The response sparked nervous laughter from the audience at a north London conference centre where the Business Connect event was held.
The off-the-cuff comment risks reigniting debate about Mr Sunak’s personal wealth, which has been used by critics to paint him as out of touch.
With an estimated fortune of almost three-quarters of a billion pounds, the Prime Minister has regularly struggled to present himself as a man of the people.
As Chancellor, Mr Sunak was pictured preparing for the Budget in 2020 with a £180 “smart mug” that can keep drinks at a precise temperature. The flask was reportedly a gift from his wife, Akshata Murthy, the daughter of billionaire Indian entrepreneur N. R. Narayana Murthy.
A year later, Mr Sunak was seen wearing a £95 pair of plastic slippers made by Italian designer label Palm Angels.
Ahead of the Budget in March 2022, Mr Sunak drew mockery after participating in a photo shoot where he was seen filling up a modest family hatchback that was not his own.
The former investment banker also had to be taught how to use a contactless bank card when buying a can of Coke last year.
Mr Sunak explained during leadership hustings last summer: “The most embarrassing thing that’s happened to me is I struggled to pay for the petrol in a car that wasn’t my own. And since then someone’s taught me how to use that contactless machine.”
During the Tory Party leadership race, Mr Sunak was also pictured wearing a bespoke suit said to cost £3,500 and Prada shoes.
Source: The Telegraph
