By David Wilcock, Whitehall Correspondent For Mailonline
Published: 14:12 BST, 26 June 2019 | Updated: 15:06 BST, 26 June 2019
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Millionaire Jeremy Hunt clashed with Jeremy Vine over how rich he is today, saying he was paid less than the BBC presenter before he was an MP.
The Foreign Secretary was quizzed on whether he was the richest man in the Cabinet when he appeared on Radio 2 at lunchtime, but refused to confirm the rumour, saying he had 'no idea'.
Mr Vine is well known to be one of the BBC's best-paid broadcaster, with a salary of around £750,000 per year.
As he pressed the minister on his worth, Mr Hunt said: 'Hang on, my salary when I was running my business was far lower than your salary, if I may say.'
When Mr Vine replied 'I'm not in the Cabinet', the politician retorted: 'I don't think we should be getting into the politics of envy.'
He added: 'If you really meant it as a compliment... thank you Jeremy for, instead of saying I have been successful and set up a business and created 200 jobs, the way you chose to phrase it is ''you're the richest man in the Cabinet''.
'If that was meant as a compliment, which I somehow doubt, thank you very much for that generous compliment.'
Mr Hunt previously ran education publishing business Hotcourses, which he later sold for £14million, which is believed to make him the richest member of the Cabinet.
Shaking up Tory voters: Mr Hunt enjoyed his cooling drink while campaigning in Essex this morning
The posh shake came in a jam jar glass with a handle, with Mr Hunt sipping it delicately through a straw
Minutes before the interview, which he carried out in