​Chancellor Rishi Sunak Exposed For Not Knowing How Contactless Works

Footage shared online appears to expose chancellor Rishi Sunak's lack of knowledge about contactless card payments.

A video of the politician started doing the rounds on Twitter yesterday (23 March) after he was shown in a Sky News report attempting to buy a can of Coca Cola and a Twix via contactless payment.

The clip has been viewed more than 590,000 times at the time of writing, with intrigued and baffled Twitter users left confused as to how the Chancellor of the Exchequer has apparently made it more than a decade without learning how contactless cards work.

The ability to make purchases without entering your PIN began with the introduction of contactless cards in 2007 and over the last few years, the process has grown to allow purchases of bigger value, as well as expanding to allow customers to make payments using their phones.

Admittedly not everyone got contactless cards when they were first released, but I think it's safe to say that in 2022 most people know how they work. All you have to do is touch your card to the machine - it's definitely not rocket science.

Alamy

Still, Sunak appeared to be stumped by the concept of contactless payment in the video, which showed him holding his card up to the device which was actually intended to scan his purchase.

Of course, it's possible Sunak simply presumed the shopkeeper had already rung up his items and therefore was simply set on paying, hence his enthusiasm to present the card, but that hasn't stopped Twitter users from mocking the blunder.

Responding to the footage, one person wrote: "I am utterly mesmerised by this. He tries to use his card... on the barcode scanner."

Another commented: "I don't think @RishiSunak has ever been in a shop before. God help us all."

The video isn't the only reason Sunak has gained attention this week, as he has also been branded out-of-touch with the public as he admitted he and his family members "all have different breads" during an appearance on BBC Breakfast.

When questioned about the food he had noticed to be rising in price in supermarkets, he responded: "It's probably, I think bread, probably is the thing. The one we buy I'm sure is now about £1.20 and it was about £1, from memory."

When asked what kind of bread he had, Sunak responded: "It's a Hovis kind of seeded thing. We have a whole range of different - we all have different breads in my house, a degree of healthiness between my wife, myself and my kids."