Tories auction Theresa May shoe shopping and tea with Boris
Conservative bigwigs and extravagant holidays sold off to the super-rich at party election fundraiser
A shoe-shopping trip with Home Secretary Theresa May and tea with London Mayor Boris Johnson were among the lots auctioned by the Conservative Party last night.
The Tories held a lavish election fundraiser at the Grosvenor House hotel in Mayfair, London, where party donors reportedly paid up to £15,000 for a table.
Lots at the Black and White Ball included a five-night break for two in Santorini with private plane; a luxury chalet for 12 in Verbier, Switzerland; and a year's supply of Kurt Geiger shoes.
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BuzzFeed News managed to obtain the full list of what was sold. Here are some of the highlights:
Chicken dinner with Gove
Guests were offered dinner for four with Chief Whip Michael Gove and his wife Sarah at their London home, described as a "unique opportunity" to enjoy a "hearty weeknight roast chicken dinner at a mutually convenient date".
Tea with Boris
Also up for grabs was a cup of tea with the Mayor of London Boris Johnson. "Boris will enlighten and delight you on the topic of his newest literary masterpiece The Churchill Factor: How One Man Made History," said the auction brochure.
Iron man race with IDS
"Feeling adventurous?" Guest were offered to join Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith in a "mini Iron Man style endeavour" in October. The highest bidder was promised "hills, woods, streams and hedges" as they seek to reach the finish line before their team mate.
Shoe shopping with the Home Secretary
Tory donors were invited to "merge fashion and politics" with Theresa May. "Now is your chance, alongside a friend, to shoe shop in a Bond Street store. Enjoy tea before agreeing what will best suit your wardrobe." A £500 voucher was also included.
Signed Budget speeches
For those who fancy a bit of light reading, Chancellor George Osborne was also offering a "unique bound collection" of his Budget speeches over the last Parliament, "signed by the man himself".
A week-long trip for 24 people to the La Fortaleza estate on the Bay of Pollença in northern Majorca reportedly sold for £220,000, while a small bronze statue by Antony Dufort portraying Margaret Thatcher in her final term as prime minister apparently sold for £210,000. A JCB digger went for £50,000, according to The Times political correspondent Lucy Fisher.
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