Let them eat cake: Lebanon prime minister doesn't know price of bread

Lebanon's prime minister has been accused of being out of touch with people for not knowing the price of bread.

Saad Hariri made the confession during a television programme aired on Sunday that placed the premier in a classroom full of school children asking him questions.

"How much is a packet of bread?" one of the students asked the Prime Minister.

"A packet of bread… 500 Lebanese pounds? I don't know to be honest," an embarrassed looking Hariri responded.

The children then let him know that a packet of bread is actually 1,500 Lebanese pounds ($1) or triple the price he gave.

Hariri has been widely made fun of on social media over his ignorance of the correct price and criticised for being out of touch with people, many of which struggle with rising living costs.

"I bet he also doesn't know that electricity and water cut all the time because he has them all the time. I bet he also doesn't have to wait for hours when he goes to the hospital because he goes to France to get checked up," said one critical internet commenter.

Lebanon's primer is the latest in a long line of politicians around the world who have come under fire failing to know the cost of basic goods such as milk and eggs.

Former British prime minister David Cameron was widely mocked in 2013 for not knowing the price of a loaf of bread and defending himself by saying he preferred to bake his own.

In 1992, US President George H W Bush, was forced to admit he did not know how much a gallon of milk cost during a debate with Bill Clinton.