Mind that microphone!
The former Conservative chancellor made the error of discussing the candidates then contesting the Tory leadership with ex-Cabinet colleague Sir Malcolm Rifkind after giving an interview to Sky News.
Unfortunately for Clarke – who was the one sitting in front of a camera – it was still rolling and caught a deliciously candid exchange between the two Tory heavyweights.
Rifkind lit the blue touch paper by leaning in to say: “I don’t mind who wins as long as [Michael] Gove comes third. As long as Gove doesn’t come in the final two I don’t mind what happens.”
Clarke is equally dismissive: “I think with Michael as prime minister we’d go to war with at least three countries at once. He did us all a favour by getting rid of Boris. The idea of Boris as prime minister is ridiculous.”
Clarke then ruminated on the attributes of another contender, the Leave campaigner Andrea Leadsom: “She is not one of the tiny band of lunatics who think we can have a sort of glorious economic future outside the single market.
“So long as she understands that she’s not to deliver on some of the extremely stupid things she’s been saying.”
He then moved on to Theresa May: “Theresa is a bloody difficult woman but you and I worked with Margaret Thatcher.” (Laughs.)
His indiscreet remarks were soon being broadcast by every TV news channel. have contempt for the media. A few paparazzi yesterday got the holiday off to a bad start. I think the Prince was a little bit upset about that.”