Rishi Sunak donates £10 bottle of Merlot to school

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has donated a £10 bottle of Merlot from the House of Commons shop to a school in his constituency for a fund-raising event.

According to The Mirror, Sunak made the donatation to Leyburn Primary School, who were trying to raise cash for new computers. On the plus side, Sunak did sign the bottle of Merlot.

Mel Wise, chair of the Parents, Teachers and Friends Association, told the newspaper: “Honestly, we are just shocked, really. Obviously, the children in his own constituency are worth £10.

“Don’t get me wrong, we don’t expect him to give us thousands or millions, or anything like that. But something more than £10 that we could have auctioned off would have been good.”

The House of Commons website describes the wine from growers in the South of France, and made by “world famous producer” Boisset, and “headed up by Reunion-raised Laurent Sauvage, who brings his understanding of micro-climate to his winemaking philosophy”.

It says it is “fresh, appealing and well balanced, this wine has real presence and a great mouth-filling style” as well as being a “rare combination of pure fruit flavours and elegance – a red wine to drink on its own or with a wide range of simple dishes”.

There were a number of other pricier options available for the Prime Minister at parliament’s official shop, including a number of different Scotch whiskies, ranging from £30 to £45, a House of Lords Gin at £45, and a House of Commons Premier Cru Champagne for £37, an English sparkling wine from Digby Fine English for £35 and House of Commons Brut Traditional Champagne for £35.

Sunak could have even gone one step further and selected a limited edition Scotch whisky that commemorated Big Ben’s restoration at £550. The whisky from Cameronbridge Distillery is a 35-year-old single grain whisky, presented in a handcrafted, UK-made oak box and the House of Commons portcullis engraved on a brass plaque.

Despite being signed by the Prime Minister, the bottle was put into a £1-a-ticket raffle rather than into a separate auction.

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