'Rishi Sunak is dodgy casino boss and levelling up fund is UK's biggest racket'

20 January 2023 , 00:29

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Two-thirds of this year’s £2.1billion has gone to places represented by the Conservatives (Image: Getty Images)

Rishi Sunak may not look like a dodgy casino boss but he certainly acts like one.

The Prime Minister oversees one of the biggest rackets in Britain – the Government’s levelling up fund.

This pool of money is handed to councils to improve their local area but how that cash is handed out is neither fair nor transparent.

Instead of allocating the funds based on need, they are predominantly funnelled towards Tory-run parts of the country.

In 2021, 90% of the £1billion pot went to areas with at least one Conservative MP.

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Two-thirds of this year’s £2.1billion has gone to places represented by the Conservatives.

The real scandal is how the Tories have slashed spending on local authorities – from £41billion in 2010 to £26billion in 2020 (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Short of putting the cash in a brown envelope it is hard to see how this could be more dubious.

But the real scandal is how the Tories have slashed spending on local authorities – from £41billion in 2010 to £26billion in 2020 – and now want voters to be grateful for a few pennies in compensation.

Having starved councils of cash they’re now forced to rattle the begging bowl for funds.

And that money is then allocated on the spin of a rigged roulette wheel.

Jason Beattie