Kwasi Kwarteng, a Ghanaian-born former UK chancellor, and four other British Conservative Party MPs were the targets of what appears to have been a duping experiment by the campaign organization Leading by Donkeys.
The interests of a fictitious South Korean company were promoted, allegedly, by Kwasi Kwarteng and the other Tory MPs in exchange for £10,000 per day of labor.
At his parliamentary office, the former UK chancellor met investigators posing as employees of the fake Koran company and in principle agreed to be paid the day rate of £10,000.
Led by Donkeys uploaded a video of the meeting, which was more akin to a job interview, in which Kwarteng bragged about his skills and contacts as evidence that he was the best candidate.
The investigator told the former chancellor they are willing to pay him between £8,000 and £12,000 per day for his involvement, so he boosted his rate from the initial £10,000 per month to £10,000 per day.
“I served as chancellor before becoming an energy minister for three years. I have a lot of experience in the UK, you know,” he continued.
He further stated that his obligations in his new position with the South Korean corporation will not be hampered by his employment as an MP.
Kwasi Kwarteng even continued by claiming that he could enlist Boris Johnson, the former British Prime Minister, whom he referred to as “a terrific campaigner.”
The document was an experiment to see if MPs will find time to take another job, “furthering the interest of foreign firms” during the UK’s cost of living crisis, according to Anthony Barnett, the lead investigative journalist for the exposé.
He added that while UK lawmakers are free to accept as many jobs as they want and demand whatever pay they please, a large number of people have been criticizing this freedom.
Recall that in October 2022, Kwasi Kwarteng—the first black finance minister in the UK—was fired from his position by Liz Truss, a former British prime minister.
He was fired over the UK’s mini-budget in 2022, which prompted market instability and a revolt among Conservative Lawmakers in the UK, according to a Reuters report attributing the event to the UK Times newspaper.
Steven Swinford, Political Editor of The Times, tweeted, “I’m told Kwasi Kwarteng is being fired as Chancellor as Liz Truss prepares to rescind the mini-Budget.”
Below is a video of Kwasi Kwarteng’s fictitious job interview.