Senior Tories faced bad ops earlier this week as they were filmed dashing from their annual winter fundraising ball to vote for the PM’s controversial social care reforms. A huge amount of cash was raised at the ball: an hour’s cricket with Rishi Sunak went for £35,000; dinner with Gove for £25,000; karaoke with Liz Truss fetched £22,000. All the while the 500 guests dined on smoked salmon and beef…

It seems not all the Cabinet are such high-value prizes however. Guido can reveal that at a gala dinner last week an auction was held at which “tea with Priti Patel, the Home Secretary” was on offer. While the email sent to attendees subsequently hailed the dinner as “a great success”, it confessed the tea with Priti prize “could not be sold as intended”. 

The item is now being re-auctioned with bids being invited. Guido would be happy to pass on the auction details to Nigel Farage – he imagines the conversation would be more interesting than the finger sandwiches…

UPDATE: A source gets in touch claiming the item did, in fact, sell at the event, however it transpired the winning bid was from someone ineligible as they weren’t on the electoral register. Happy bidding.