Londoner’s Diary
Busy prime ministers are often forced to have lunch on the go, but should they sacrifice a healthy lifestyle in the process?
A pap photo of the PM out-and-about in Westminster yesterday afternoon gave a worrying insight into his dietary choices. He was spotted holding a car-crash combination of what appeared to be a Greek-style salad, McCoy’s flame-grilled crisps (steak-flavoured) and a can of Tango. He had apparently acquired this disaster basket in the Foreign Office canteen.
Nutritionist Florence Heathcoat-Amory is concerned. “He’ll get sleepy mid-afternoon and probably quite hungry,” she warned. “Let’s start with the good stuff. The veg in the salad are a source of fibre, so lovely and filling, beneficial for your gut bacteria and full of vitamins and antioxidants.”
She continued: “However, it can’t come as a surprise that I’m not a fan of the crisps and Tango, the crisps are full of inflammatory oils and artificial flavourings, while the Tango is likely high in sugar, which contributes to the energy slump many suffer from mid-afternoon.” Keeping the PM well-fed is an important but overlooked part of government. At No 10, Boris and Carrie Johnson indulged in deliveries from the boutique Cotswolds farm shop Daylesford Organic, where a whole chicken is priced at £22 and the cheapest loaf of bread is a fiver. Liz Truss squeezed in an Ocado delivery.
And the winner is?
Stewart Lewis is pulling ahead in the race to be the next leader of the Conservative party. Never heard of him? That’s because he doesn’t exist. Nevertheless, eight per cent of the general public think he would do a good job as next Tory leader. “Stewart Lewis” has long been used by pollsters as a red herring, to check how much attention voters are really paying to politics. In a new Ipsos Mori poll, he is neck and neck with real candidate Mel Stride. He also has the second-highest net favourability score after Tom Tugendhat.
Yes we Khan
Will the University of Oxford’s next chancellor be running the place from a prison cell in Pakistan? Ex-cricketer and former Pakistan PM Imran Khan might make it so. Back in February we predicted that he could throw his hat into the ring, as a graduate of the university and major public figure. This week that prediction became a reality when his advisers announced that Khan had submitted his nomination papers. He is currently serving a prison sentence on charges which the United Nations has branded “arbitrary”.
Soft power
The future of the “special relationship” between Britain and America might be safe thanks to our world-class ambassador in Washington DC — Dame Karen Pierce. She reveals she has been schmoozing with possible next president Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff. “They very kindly invited my husband and me to their 50 years of hip-hop party,” she said. “I am very sorry to say we were totally out of place, but we had a great time.” A long way from Churchill and Roosevelt.
