‘Any chance we can get another driver?’: Jeremy Hunt mocked over his visit to the McLaren F1 team as Chancellor produces ‘Mr Bean lookalike’ video for social media in bid to promote Treasury’s ‘racing strategy’ for Britain
- Jeremy Hunt mocked for ‘Mr Bean lookalike’ video from visit to McLaren F1 team
- Chancellor says he’s ‘in the driving seat’ for UK’s economy during inflation crisis
Jeremy Hunt was mocked today over a ‘Mr Bean lookalike’ video for social media from his visit to the McLaren Formula 1 team.
The Chancellor was shown clambering into a racing simulator at McLaren’s tech centre in Woking, Surrey, as he spoke of his ‘racing strategy’ for Britain.
Mr Hunt quipped he was ‘in the driving seat for our economy’ as it faces a ‘tight corner’ amid the inflation crisis.
But some of those who watched the video on social media were left asking: ‘Any chance we can get another driver?’
And others wondered whether taxpayers were footing the bill for another ‘nonsense’ and ‘awful’ video from a top Cabinet minister.
It comes little more than a fortnight after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was derided for a ‘migraine-inducing’ video to mark his first 100 days in office.
Jeremy Hunt quipped he was ‘in the driving seat for our economy’ as it faces a ‘tight corner’ amid the inflation crisis
The Chancellor hailed how Britain was a ‘leader’ in Formula 1 with 80 per cent of the motor sport’s teams having bases in the UK
But Mr Hunt’s video fell flat with social media users, with some asking whether taxpayers were footing the bill for another ‘nonsense’ and ‘awful’ video from a top Cabinet minister
In his two minute and 44 second video, Mr Hunt hailed how Britain was a ‘leader’ in Formula 1 with 80 per cent of the motor sport’s teams having bases in the UK.
The Chancellor spoke of his plans to boost Britain’s schools system and apprenticeships and pointed to how education was one of his ‘four pillars’ to grow the economy.
‘The most prosperous countries in the world are the best educated,’ he said.
‘With our brilliant Education Secretary (Gillian Keegan), £2.3billion of extra funding in the Autumn Statement and more reforms, we can deploy our DRS and overtake the rest of the pack.’
But the Chancellor’s video fell flat with other social media users, with one replying to Mr Hunt: ‘The UK economy isn’t even in the slow lane, it’s up on bricks waiting for the scrappers to come take it away.’
‘How much taxpayer money was wasted on this nonsense?,’ asked one disgruntled viewer.
Another added: ‘Who’s giving you these ideas, genuinely, I want to buy a drink to whoever is convincing you that they are a good idea.’
Responding to the Chancellor’s video, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokeswoman Sarah Olney said: ‘Far from Formula 1, Jeremy Hunt is more of a hapless hot wheels driver who’s driven our economy off a cliff.
‘People won’t forget what this revolving door of Conservative Chancellors has done to our economy.
‘People’s homes are being repossessed, millions are choosing between heating and eating, and all this Government can conjure up is PR stunts from a Mr Bean lookalike.’
