As he leads the race to become the next Prime Minister, the luxurious private swimming pool complex at Rishi Sunak’s North Yorkshire manor house is approaching completion.
The former Chancellor of the Exchequer, who faces competition for the top job from former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and House of Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt, has spent £400,000 on a new swimming pool.
At his £2 million Georgian manor near Northallerton, he has also constructed a gym and tennis courts, and reports from earlier this year estimated that he would have to pay $13,000 year to keep the new pool heated.
Millions of people in the United Kingdom are at risk of not being able to pay their bills as a result of the steady increase in energy prices over the past few months.
Aerial photographs reveal that the exterior of the luxurious private complex has been completed, with a tennis court that appears to double as a football field, complete with goal nets, in place.
The photographs were taken on the same day that Sunak surged to the front of the pack in the contest to succeed departing Prime Minister Liz Truss, with 128 MPs endorsing him in a matter of days.
Mr. Sunak, who lost to Ms. Truss in the final round of the Conservative leadership election in August and September, will attempt to avoid a similar outcome.
However, peace discussions between him and Mr. Johnson did not result in an agreement, increasing the likelihood that the former Chancellor will face the former Prime Minister in the last round.
The swimming pool at his Grade-II manor house, where he frequently spends weekends with his wife and two daughters, has been under renovation for several months.
In June of last year, the 42-year-old petitioned to the local council for permission to construct an L-shaped pool house with a hot tub, utility and changing area, and plant room.
The council subsequently authorized these proposals, which featured a 12-by-5-meter swimming pool.
It is believed that no taxpayer funds were utilized to construct the complex, and there were no objections from local residents.
Reports that it would cost £13,000 year to heat did not sit well with his constituents, especially after the dramatic increase in energy costs.
Colburn Leisuire Centre’s utility expenditures are expected to increase from £15,000 last year to over £72,000 this year, prompting Richmondshire Leisure Trust to declare the termination of its management of the facility.
The 2,000-person-per-week Richmond Swimming Pool was also threatened, but the council has offered assistance and financing to keep it open.
The former chancellor owns the Grade II manor house with his wife Akshata Murthy; the couple was included on The Sunday Times Rich List earlier this year, which indicated that they had a combined net worth of approximately £730 million.
Additionally, they own a £5.5 million house in Santa Monica, California, where Mr. Sunak is expected to reside if he decides to leave British politics.
Mr. Sunak, a former investment banker for corporations in California, India, and the United Kingdom, including Goldman Sachs, is known to utilize the Yorkshire property when Parliament is not in session and he has no business in London.
Mr. Sunak announced his bid to replace Liz Truss as Prime Minister earlier today, less than two months after losing the previous Tory leadership contest to her.
According to reports, the former chancellor’s late-night meetings with his competitor Boris Johnson resulted in no power-sharing agreement.
As Britain faces a “profound economic crisis,” he formally announced his candidacy for Tory leadership and pledged to “work day in and day out to get things done.”
If elected, he pledged to head a government with “ethics, professionalism, and accountability.”
Mr. Johnson and Mr. Sunak reportedly met at 8 p.m. last night, during which the former Prime Minister reportedly told his former Chancellor that if he returned to No. 10 with Mr. Sunak in a senior position, it would prevent a divisive battle.
However, it was reported this morning that no deal was reached during the three-hour negotiations.
It sets up another twenty-four hours of frantic phone calls and texting between leadership hopefuls and Tory MPs before tomorrow’s 2 p.m. deadline for them to secure 100 supporters.
Penny Mordaunt, who declared her candidacy for the leadership of the Conservative Party on Friday, refuted this morning as “completely false” claims that she had offered to support Boris Johnson in exchange for a job.