Wednesday 6 July 2022 05:39 PM Tory leadership jostling begins as Boris Johnson teeters on the brink of exit ... trends now
Tory leadership jostling was on full display this afternoon as Boris Johnson teeters on the brink.
With the Prime Minister facing a torrent of Conservative MPs calling for him to go, those hoping to replace him were making themselves visible in a variety of ways.
Some used Parliament's set-piece occasions while others paraded how they were getting on with their day jobs.
And even the family members of leading Tories were thrust into the spotlight as speculation about who could replace Mr Johnson intensified.
Rishi Sunak was among the first to thrust the knife into the PM as part of the Tory revolt.
He dramatically quit as Chancellor last night to throw Mr Johnson's premiership into fresh peril.
And while reporters were camped outside his London home today - hoping for a first appearance from Mr Sunak since his departure from Government - the ex-Chancellor's wife popped out to offer refreshments.
Akshata Murty, the heiress of an Indian billionaire, was pictured carrying out a tray of hot drinks for waiting members of the press, as well as a bowl of nuts and plate of biscuits.
Rishi Sunak's wife, Akshata Murty, was today pictured carrying out a tray of hot drinks for waiting members of the press
The mugs being carried by Ms Murty were later revealed to be Emma Lacey products - with each one worth £38
The scene was immediately compared to when Mr Johnson himself delivered a tray of teas for journalists camped outside his Oxfordshire house in 2018
The mugs being carried by Ms Murty were later revealed to be Emma Lacey products - with each one worth £38.
The scene was immediately compared to when Mr Johnson himself delivered a tray of teas for journalists camped outside his Oxfordshire house in 2018.
That came when Mr Johnson was facing a controversy by his comparison of Muslim women wearing the burka to letterboxes and bank robbers.
Mary Archer was also famed for bringing cups of tea to waiting press packs gathered outside her Cambridgeshire home during one of the many scandals afflicting her husband, Sir Jeffrey Archer, in his political career.
The recent row over Ms Murty's non-dom tax status was widely viewed as having fatally damaged her husband's hopes of replacing Mr Johnson.
But Mr Sunak's decision to quit the Cabinet - within minutes of Sajid Javid's exit as health secretary - may have helped revive his fortunes among some Tory MPs.
Tom Tugendhat and Tobias Ellwood, senior Tory MPs who both chair influential Commons committees and have been touted as potential leadership candidates, got the chance to quiz the PM in person today.
As Mr Johnson appeared before the powerful Liaison Committee - formed of the chairs of all other Commons committees - Mr Tugendhat quizzed the PM about whether he was currently able to 'concentrate' on British support for Ukraine.
Mr Tugendhat, the chair of the
