The Wee Ginger Dug is off this week, so The Jouker will be filling in.

CHANCELLOR Rishi Sunak is giving us example after example of exactly how little he cares about struggling families.

The UK is set to be hit with an unprecedented cost of living crisis, exacerbated by the decisions taken by Boris Johnson’s government. Spiking energy prices mean many will be left choosing between eating and heating – others will be struggling to do either, such is the scale of the problem.

Given Sunak’s previous, obvious aspirations to lead the Tory Party, it would thus be sensible for him to offer some semblance of sympathy – lest people assume that his massive personal fortune has left him rather insensitive to the plight of those less well-off.

However, as a Tory minister, normal, human emotions such as empathy are less of a factor. Instead, we hear reports that the only tough decision he’s having to make is which of his many homes he’ll be holidaying at during the Easter recess of Westminster. We’re sure poverty will loosen its horrifying grip until Sunak has had some time to enjoy all California has to offer and the Commons is back in action.

Has he come out to rubbish these? Of course not. He's headed off to a £5m Santa Monica home instead.

Meanwhile, Sky News revealed that Sunak and his wife have donated more than £100,000 to Winchester College since becoming Chancellor.

He’s no doubt proud of being head boy of one of the most expensive private schools in the UK – and the money goes towards bursaries for children who would not be able to attend the £43,335-a-year institution without that aid.

A spokeswoman for Sunak said: “Rishi and his wife have donated to numerous charities and philanthropic causes for many years and will continue to do so.

"These donations are made to help fund scholarships for children who would not otherwise have the opportunity to go to Winchester."

A noble cause on the surface … but coming after the UK Government has axed support for so many of the most in need (remember the Universal Credit uplift?), and while the funding gap between private and public schools continues to grow under the Tories, it hasn’t been met with a positive reaction.

It doesn’t do much for the image of an out-of-touch Chancellor, does it? In fact, his image is so bad that even David Cameron’s former speechwriter thinks he’s a bit too much.

Writing in The Times, Clare Foges said: “As a conservative and celebrator of success it pains me to say so, but for top-rank politicians in Britain there is such a thing as being too rich. Specifically, Sunak is too wealthy to be prime minister.”

In other words, while enough of the British public is well able to tolerate a Boris-Johnson-level toff and a royal family that jumps from scandal to scandal, Sunak is SO wealthy that even ardent small-c conservatives realise it’s political poison to have him as PM.

Yet he’s good enough to be Chancellor, it seems. Let’s see how that pitch goes to voters seeing the full impact of the cost of living crisis ... especially when indyref2 rolls around.

This piece is an extract from today’s REAL Scottish Politics newsletter, which is emailed out at 7pm every weekday with a round-up of the day's top stories and exclusive analysis from the Wee Ginger Dug.

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