Tory leadership contenders are only starting to declare this week. Behind the scenes it has been a flurry of activity for some time. Robert Jenrick had new MPs over to his Westminster pad for drinks last week as hopefuls fire out countless invites to Tory MPs for a quiet chat or drink. Guido hears some invites have been sloppily fired out to organisers of rival campaigns…

Leadership operations are being run by informal whips (usually close friends) who sound out support among MPs (which is often done by the hopeful themselves), and spinners who brief the media offensively and defensively. Guido gives you the guide to the teams so far below…

Badenoch

• Spinners: Dylan Sharpe.
• Whips: Julia Lopez, Alex Burghart.

Cleverly

• Spinners: Callum Price, Alice Hopkin, Joe Tetlow.
• Whips: Gagan Mohindra, Peter Fortune.
• Video: Brandon Hattiloney.

Jenrick

• Spinners: Tom Milford, Sam Armstrong.
• Whips: Danny Kruger.

Patel

• Spinners: James Starkie.
• Whips: Greg Smith, Saqib Bhatti.

Tugendhat

• Spinners: Lauren Maher, helped by Pete Backhouse.
• Whips: Karen Bradley (close friend Alicia Kearns is supporting).
• Campaign Manager: Guy Miscampbell, helped by Ben Mallet, and Will Walden.

Mel Stride

• Whips: Himself.
• Spinner: James Heywood.

Braverman and Atkins are two other names bandied about – they don’t have fully fledged teams. At the 1922 Committee meeting last week Rebecca Harris said that Tory whips wouldn’t be endorsing leadership hopefuls and instructed MPs not to discuss it with them. The whips who did want to endorse candidates have left the whips office accordingly…