CCHQ’s much-touted “red wall loyalty” office up in Leeds is looking like it’s actually a white elephant. Guido hears its desks are barely populated. The new office was announced in October 2020 and opened by Oliver Dowden in March last year. The mixed-office building is equipped with a handsome dining area, spacious desks, and huge windows – a honeypot to lure Tory staff up from cramped Matthew Parker Street (with the help of a payout). It looks as though no one wanted to level up though as Guido hears the office only has around 20 regulars when the Tories are paying for a whole lot more real estate. There were meant to be 50 permanent staff with plenty more desks to be used “depending on demand”…

Based on current per-square-foot prices for the building, 100 desks would set you back somewhere in the ballpark of £350,000 per annum. Even worse, CCHQ is rumoured to have it on a long corporate lease, likely meaning it can’t be downsized. No one said levelling up would be cheap…