Watch the UK’s finance minister shamelessly dodge a basic math question asked by a 7-year-old boy

Whoaaaa there, Mr. Chancellor. You're not fooling anyone with this dodge.

George Osborne, the UK's Chancellor of the Exchequer — a position that other nations call the Minister of Finance or the Secretary of the Treasury — was fielding questions from a panel of children on Sky News when 7-year-old Sam Raddings, with a rascally twinkle in his eye, turned up the heat.

After Osborne had bragged about his math skills — "I did maths A-level so I have been tested at school" — Sam gave the chancellor an opportunity to put his money where his mouth was by solving a very simple math problem.

"What's 7 times 8?" he asked.

Osborne proved an inartful dodger with his fumbling response.

Facepalm.

Sure, answering on-the-spot questions about multiplication tables is a tough task for any person over the age of 13. But really, Osborne should have done better than this.

Did Sam know the answer?

You bet he did.

"56."

Sam Raddings: speaking truth to power since age 7.

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