The Chancellor of the Exchequer has declined to release any details about a charity donation he first promised last month.
The Treasury is giving every household a £400 energy rebate, as part of a government package to help people cope with soaring energy bills. People who own several homes will receive a grant for each property.
Rishi Sunak said on 27 May that he would give his rebate to charity and later repeated the pledge in parliament.
But despite repeated inquiries from Third Sector, his office has been unable to say which organisation will receive the cash or when the donation will be made.
Sunak is thought to own three UK properties, meaning his donation would be worth £1,200.
After repeated emails and phone calls requesting information about the Chancellor’s donation, the Treasury told Third Sector it would not comment on the matter because it was Sunak’s “personal choice”.
Queries to Sunak’s parliamentary office also went unanswered.
Sunak repeated the promise in the House of Commons yesterday, in response to questions about government policy from MPs on the Treasury Select Committee.
Asked whether he would benefit from a policy that made several energy rebate payments to owners of more than one property, Sunak told MPs: “I am donating mine to charity. I made that clear a couple of weeks ago.”
Earlier this year, it was reported that Sunak had given more than £100,000 in donations to his old school, the privately funded Winchester College, which is a registered charity.
He is also a patron of three community groups in his Richmond constituency in Yorkshire, according to the parliamentary register of members’ interests: the National Osteoporosis Support Group (Hambleton & Richmondshire), Leyburn Brass Band and Wensleydale Wheels.
Sunak’s office did not respond to questions about whether any of these charities might receive his donation.
