Londoner’s Diary
The Conservatives’ summer party went ahead last night despite the distraction of the election campaign.
The bash, held every year, is a chance for party donors and politicians to meet and chew over the issues. An auction during the event is intended to raise money for the party.
This year it was held at the Hurlingham Club, the exclusive social and athletic club in west London.
But there was one notable absence: the Prime Minister. He sent a pre-recorded video message instead of attending.
The star of the night was business secretary Kemi Badenoch. Lunch with Badenoch sold for thousands of pounds during the fundraising auction, reports Politico.
Other auction lots reportedly included a seat next to Penny Mordaunt in the Albert Hall during Proms season, an evening with Michael Gove and an image of the Foreign Office building signed by all living Conservative foreign secretaries.
Attendees from the Cabinet included Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron, Home Secretary James Cleverly, Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch and Defence Secretary Grant Shapps.
Some Tory grandees urged a postponement of the event, arguing that the spectacle of ministers schmoozing with rich donors during an election would be “a gift to Labour”.
It is one of two annual fundraising fixtures held by the Conservative party. The other is the Black and White ball, which usually takes place in February.
When the party is doing well, a single fundraising event can raise millions. In 2015, on the cusp of an election, the Black and White Ball raised £3 million for the party war chest.
But in recent weeks, with poor polling results, the Tories have been struggling to raise money to fund the election campaign. Labour meanwhile has been raking in donations, raising around twice as much cash as the Conservatives in the first week of the election campaign.
