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Politics
Joel Beard
May 17, 2023
Related video: Rishi Sunak 'disappointed' as Tories lose control of seven councils in the local elections
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Taking part in a lottery is, for some, utterly thrilling. The prospect of winning a life-changing cash sum to fund your next holiday, pay off debts or buy a new car is just too exciting – but we’d argue the prizes on offer in the Conservative Party’s latest lottery are anything but.
Of course, as a political party reliant on donations (and in 2021, The Independent reported a quarter of individual donations came from just 10 people), the Conservatives are keen to generate cash to keep their party going.
And what better than a lottery where the top prize is… £10,000 and a 10-minute phone call with Conservatives leader and prime minister Rishi Sunak.
Yes, really.
Meanwhile the second place prize in the “fast reply draw” is a £5,000 Jet2 holiday voucher, and a third prize is £1,000 and a cricket bat signed by Mr Sunak.
Somehow we can’t help but feel like the majority of people won’t be batting an eyelid when it comes to entering.
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Well, if Twitter is anything to go by, some people are more interested in thinking about the complaints they would raise with Mr Sunak if they got him on the phone, and others have accused the Tories of being “desperate”:
\u201c@PolitlcsUK That is quite possibly the most Tory thing i\u2019ve ever read in my life\u201d— Politics UK (@Politics UK) 1684334273
\u201c@PolitlcsUK @UkTruth2020 It's almost worth entering just to rant at @RishiSunak for ten minutes.\u201d— Politics UK (@Politics UK) 1684334273
\u201c@PolitlcsUK I thought this was a joke!..... And I suppose it is, in a way.\u201d— Politics UK (@Politics UK) 1684334273
\u201c@PolitlcsUK Christ they're desperate for cash aren't they\u201d— Politics UK (@Politics UK) 1684334273
\u201c@PolitlcsUK How odd that the details of 2nd place were omitted, being a one way trip to rwanda and \u00a35K to buy protection\u201d— Politics UK (@Politics UK) 1684334273
\u201c@PolitlcsUK A new meaning to cash for access.\n\nI wonder how many Russian agents will be entering\u2026\u201d— Politics UK (@Politics UK) 1684334273
\u201c@PolitlcsUK Odd. Fails to mention that 2nd prize holiday is to Rwanda and only includes one-way flight + half-board government provided accommodation.\n\n... they must be REALLY desperate for cash now that their donors have run away and they're having to hide the Russian cash.\u201d— Politics UK (@Politics UK) 1684334273
\u201cThe fact he thinks a 10 min phone call with him is a \u201cprize\u201d \ud83e\udd23\n\nNice to see he is focusing his time on the top priorities for this country as always!\u201d— JJ \u201cLegacy Fan\u201d \ud83d\udc1d\ud83d\udc99 (@JJ \u201cLegacy Fan\u201d \ud83d\udc1d\ud83d\udc99) 1684338201
\u201c.@RishiSunak is offering a 10 minute telephone call with him as a @Conservatives fundraiser lottery prize. Isn\u2019t that selling access to the Prime Minister? \ud83e\udd37\ud83c\udffc\u200d\u2642\ufe0f\u201d— Karl Turner MP (@Karl Turner MP) 1684337387
Mr Sunak is apparently a “lifelong cricket fan”, having welcomed England’s T20 World Cup winners to Downing Street in March.
And if you’re seriously considering taking part in the lottery – because the prizes are that irresistible, apparently – you have until 23 June to do so.
Also, take a look at the small print, which notes that last year, entrants had a “one in 1,287 [chance] in our weekly draws and one in 769 [chance] in our seasonal superdraws”.
To put this in perspective, it's more likely that I have the same birthday as the person reading this (one in 365, of course), than win a prize in the Conservative lottery.
I'll go get the cake...
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