The Telegraph recently published—and then quietly deleted—a shocker about “investment banker Al Moy” and his banker wife Alexandra, who allegedly earn a combined £345,000 but were forced to slash their five annual holidays to afford private school fees. Readers greeted the tale with a collective eye-roll.
📉 “We earn £345k, but soaring private school fees mean we can’t go on five holidays”
The now-deleted headline painted Moy as a fiscal victim of Labour’s new VAT on fees. According to journalist Georgina Fuller:
“We used to jet off to the Hamptons four times a year, plus ski in the Alps and beach holidays in the Med. Now it’s one long-haul trip and a couple of weekends in Europe.”
Cue the outpouring of sympathy… except nobody felt sorry. Twitter and Facebook commenters quickly spotted the flaw: six-figure incomes rarely inspire austerity pity.
🚩 Editorial fail or genre confusion?
This isn’t the first time the Telegraph has conflated comfort with crisis. But billing a family with hefty bank-worker salaries as victims of austerity feels tone-deaf—even before you factor in VAT receipts. If you’re aiming for human-interest heartfelt, start with actual hardship.
🔄 Deleted but not forgotten
The article vanished without apology. No editor’s note, no correction—just a stealthy removal. If you’re going to run a “sob story,” own it. Otherwise, you look like you can’t tell genuine struggle from faux-woe.
🧐 When “sob story” meets satire
Social media reactions ranged from bemused to savage.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
You may also like: Green leadership hopeful Zack Polanski backs 1% asset levy and slams Labour’s timidity
