Out-of-touch Rishi Sunak repeatedly wriggled out of answering questions about his luxury swimming pool while hundreds of leisure centres are on the brink of closure.
It emerged that the multi-millionaire PM had splashed out tens of thousands to connect the heated private pool to the National Grid.
New specialist equipment had to be installed around the multimillionaire PM's mansion in North Yorkshire to accommodate his new pool and gym.
But he declined to comment when grilled by the BBC's Chris Mason this evening.
In an excruciating exchange, Mr Sunak swerved answering a question about whether this makes him "detatched" from the public.
Mr Mason asked: "As others struggle to pay their bills, does that leave an impression that you're detached from the concerns of ordinary people's everyday lives?"
The PM responded: "I think if you look at what we've done on on energy bills, recognising that it is..."
At this point Mr Mason interrupted: "But what about this particular example in your life?"
Instead of answering the question, the PM said: "Again, what's the important thing is what's the government do to help people with energy bills, but we have done what I announced as Chancellor is a windfall tax on energy companies, because the profits they're making as a result of the war,
"I thought it was right that we tax those. And we have used that money to help reduce people's energy bills."
Mr Mason tried a third time, but Mr Sunak was having none of it.
The BBC political editor asked: "Can you understand everyones day to day lives, though given your particular wealth?"
Mr Sunak responded: "Well, I absolutely understand that the number one challenge people are facing is with the cost of living and particularly energy bills. So what do I do?
"We tax energy companies more, but and we've used that money to reduce people's energy bills by £1,000.
"That's the actions of this government, the actions of me as prime minister and Chancellor, I think people can see from that, that I do take this really seriously."
It comes after MPs heard an estimated 350 public swimming pools have been forced to shut or reduce opening hours because of soaring energy bills.
The new features have been installed at the luxury Grade-II listed Georgian manor, which Mr Sunak and wife Akshata Murthy purchased for £1.5million before he became an MP in 2015.
Last week MPs heard that soaring energy costs have had a devastating impact on pools across the UK.
Embarrassingly this includes one from bosses at Tadcaster Swimming Pool Trust, just miles from the PM's mansion.
Manager Chris Porter told The York Press: “It’s already an extremely challenging situation for all leisure trusts, but the strain will become incredible if the Government does not rethink and continue to provide support.
“At Tadcaster alone, our electricity costs have gone up by £7,500 per month."
He said this amounts to a 200% rise in utility costs, and he said health and wellbeing will suffer if pools close.
The government faces calls to announce extra support in Jeremy Hunt's budget.
A Labour source told The Mirror: "It’s a slap in the face to millions of hard working families that the energy crisis doesn't apply in this case, when it applies in so many others."
The cross-party Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee has written to Energy Secretary Grant Shapps urging him to act.
Committee chairman Damian Green said: “While a scheme explicitly designed to give a helping hand to energy intensive businesses exists, swimming pools and other leisure facilities have been excluded.
"Ahead of next week’s Budget, now is the time for the Government to acknowledge the particular needs of swimming pools and to set out how they can receive the support they need to survive."
