Theresa’s Operation Prosecco
PM woos party rebels with caviar and f izz at Chequers
THERESA MAY is spending thousands of pounds of Tory funds on Chequers ‘prosecco and caviar’ parties for Conservative MPs to prop up her weakened leadership.
Around 100 MPs and their partners have attended gatherings at the Prime Minister’s official country residence in recent days, hosted by Mrs May and husband Philip.
In an attempt to shrug off her awkward ‘Maybot’ reputation, Mrs May led MPs and their spouses on tours of the Buckinghamshire home, recounting amusing anecdotes about the mansion and its previous famous occupants.
Significantly, senior MPs such as Graham Brady, chairman of the backbench Tory 1922 committee, and ex-party leader Iain Duncan Smith and wife Betsy were invited. Mr Brady will have a crucial role if there is a leadership challenge against Mrs May.
Some MPs fear she may suffer a similar fate to Mr Duncan Smith, forced to quit after a disastrous Tory conference in 2003.
Other MPs at the parties included leading Brexiteer Bernard Jenkin, Nadhim Zahawi, Andrew Bridgen, Mrs May’s Commons aide Seema Kennedy, David Tredinnick, Christopher Chope, Gillian Keegan, Tim Loughton and Daniel Kawczynski.
One MP said: ‘Theresa went out of her way to be charming and gave tours. She told a hilarious story of how Margaret Thatcher ordered one of the rooms be renovated ahead of a visit by Mikhail Gorbachev. When Maggie was told there wasn’t time, she told the Chequers staff “if you don’t do it, I’ll do it myself.”’
Another said: ‘We heard how some Chequers staff were miffed when the Camerons converted the Chequers study into a chaotic children’s playroom and how delighted they were that Theresa has converted it back into a study.’
There were moments of black humour when MPs were shown Oliver Cromwell’s ‘death mask’. One MP said: ‘There were a few jokes about how long it would be before Theresa left a similar mark.’ Another said: ‘I worked my heart out for Cameron but he never deigned to invite me, let alone my wife, to Chequers. Theresa was determined to show she was in listening mode.’
There were suggestions last night that the receptions had cost £5,000, but Tory sources denied that. They also stressed the party – not the taxpayer – would foot the bill. Mr Cameron was criticised after it emerged it cost taxpayers £700,000 to maintain Chequers in the last year of his tenure of No 10.
Chequers was bequeathed to the nation in 1917 by Lord and Lady Lee of Fareham who wanted the estate to be a ‘place of rest and recreation for Prime Ministers’.
‘She told a hilarious story about Maggie’