Oliver Dowden said he had never bought a tin of beans
(Picture: LBC)The Conservative Party chairman has claimed he has never bought a tin of baked beans.
Oliver Dowden was asked by LBC radio whether he agreed with Environment Secretary George Eustice’s advice to Britons to buy own-brand products to combat the cost of living crisis.
He responded: “I'm afraid I rarely get the opportunity to go to the shops, given my extensive duties as chairman of the Conservative Party, but when I pop down to my local Tesco's, of course I buy own-brand products.
“I wouldn't know the price of a tin of baked beans - I'll tell you why, I have never liked baked beans. I've never purchased a tin of baked beans in my entire life.”
He got the price of a pint of milk about right as he guessed it cost “around 50p”.
Mr Eustice was accused of being “out of touch” with Britons after suggesting consumers should swap to value brands amid the cost-of-living crisis.
He said Britons could “contain and manage their household budget” by changing the brands they buy in supermarkets and elsewhere.
But his comments drew criticism, with Labour’s shadow Treasury chief secretary Pat McFadden describing them as “woefully out of touch from a Government with no solution to the cost-of-living crisis facing working people”.
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said for many people there was “nothing” else they could cut to help make ends meet.
MoneySavingExpert said downshifting – dropping down a price level on brands at the supermarket – typically cuts grocery bills by 30 per cent.
The latest figures show shop prices are up 2.7 per cent on last year, marking their highest rate of inflation for more than a decade.
In other developments, Mr Dowden defended Boris Johnson over the partygate scandal as Labour won control of Barnet, Wandsworth and Westminster councils from the Tories in a blow to the PM’s leadership.
Mr Dowden told Sky News: “I think looking at the picture of the results so far, they demonstrate that whilst there have been difficult results, they are consistent with what you’d expect with us from mid-term.
“Labour are certainly not on the path to power and I believe that Boris Johnson does have the leadership skills, in particular the energy and the dynamism that we need during this difficult period of time.”
