Rishi Sunak appears to wear Mickey Mouse ears just days after vowing to scrap 'Mickey Mouse' degrees

Prime minister and Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak has had an absolute mare with PR since announcing the general election last week.

He shared the news of a 4 July polling day in the pouring rain to the sound of a New Labour anthem, visited the Titanic Quarter (sparking “sinking ship” comparisons), had a photo taken of him below an ‘exit’ sign, and was snapped building a ‘red wall’ out of bricks.

Now, as his party has pledged to tackle so-called ‘Mickey Mouse’ university degrees, Sunak has been photographed in front of a machine which appears to give him rounded ears like the popular Disney character.

Earlier this week, Sunak said of the “rip-off” degrees: “Improving education is the closest thing we have to a silver bullet for boosting life chances. So it’s not fair that some university courses are ripping young people off.

“Thanks to our plan, apprenticeships are much higher quality than they were under Labour. And now we will create 100,000 more, by putting an end to rip-off degrees and offering our young people the employment opportunities and financial security they need to thrive.”

The Tories estimate the plans – which would give universities regulator the Office for Students the power to close down underperforming degree courses - would cost £885 million in 2029/30, but generate savings of £910 million in that same year.

Meanwhile Labour’s shadow education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, has branded the policy proposal as “laughable”.

“Why on earth should parents and young people believe [the Conservatives will] create training opportunities now, after 14 years of failing to deliver opportunities for young people and the skills needed to grow our economy,” she said.

Sir Keir Starmer’s party also pointed out that apprenticeship achievements among under-19s are down by half since 2015/16, and the number of those starting a scheme has slumped by at least 30 per cent in every region in England (in contrast to the Tories’ claim that 5.8 million extra apprenticeships have been delivered since 2010).

And so, when your party is planning to go after ‘Mickey Mouse’ degrees, it’s probably best you don’t look like the famous animated mascot:

The Tories aren’t the only party to make headlines with their PR gaffes during this general election campaign, as Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has relished the opportunity to go paddleboarding (he fell in Lake Windemere), cycling and on a slip-n-slide ride near Frome, in Somerset.

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