Mega-rich Tory Nadhim Zahawi sent out Christmas cards in December costing more than £500 in public cash, it has emerged.
The current Chancellor, who has a property empire estimated at around £100 million, sent out the festive greetings during his tenure as Education Secretary in 2021.
New spending documents reveal the Department of Education shelled out £547.07 on printing Christmas cards, which were sent out on behalf of Mr Zahawi and ministers.
A source branded the transaction "not very Christmassy" and questioned whether the cost should have been met by the public while millions were tightening their belts.
The DfE paid out the cash to a central London printing firm on December 22 last year, a finance document shows.
The expenditure was listed as: "Printing of Christmas cards to be sent out on behalf of DFE from ministers and SOS (Secretary of State, referring to Mr Zahawi)."
It comes as Brits struggle to meet everyday costs, with Mr Zahawi - who is expected to be replaced when a new Prime Minister is appointed next week - telling an audience yesterday that there are "no easy options" out of the cost of living crisis.
Mr Zahawi was appointed as Education Secretary in September last year, taking over from heavily-criticised Gavin Williamson.
After scores of MPs deserted Boris Johnson at the start of July, ultimately prompting the Prime Minister's resignation, Mr Zahawi was named as Chancellor in Mr Johnson's zombie government.
On Friday he was grilled over the government's response to the unfolding cost of living crisis, and admitted Mr Johnson's successor would have to make some tough decisions.
He told an audience at think tank Policy Exchange that people on low and middle incomes face being squeezed, while firms could be forced out of business without targeted support.
Neither Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss, who are slogging it out to be the next Prime Minister, have presented fully costed plans to deal with the unfolding crisis.
Mr Zahawi said: "I think Liz Truss, who I'm backing, has said she's not going to be able to write a budget during the campaign, and I think that's the responsible thing to do."
The Chancellor stated: "We need to target those families who have no headroom at all." He admitted that while £400 payments to households would be some help, further support would be needed in January, when the energy price cap is expected to rise significantly again.
"There are no easy options," he told the audience.
