Rishi Sunak has had a secretive dinner with ex-Tory leader William Hague - amid excited speculation he is preparing to challenge Boris Johnson.
The Cabinet minister went to great lengths not to be seen with the senior Conservative at London's Quaglino's on Wednesday evening, with minders ushering him in and out of the upmarket restaurant via a back door entrance.
Advisors would not be drawn on the quiet meeting, but it came as the Prime Minister faced plummeting poll ratings in the wake of the Partygate scandal.
The pair were joined by their wives, Ffion Hague and Akshata Murthy, at the "art deco-style" venue, famed for its champagne brunches, caviar and crème brulée.
One Tory source said the former leader, who held the leafy North Yorkshire seat of Richmond before Mr Sunak, is very supportive of 'Team Rishi' and was helping the Chancellor plot a bid for the top job.
They told the Mirror: "Hague is fully behind Rishi. He thinks he’ll make a great leader and has been a real mentor to him since he passed on his Yorkshire Tea subscription."
Another Tory also suggested leadership "manoeuvres" were afoot and that the pair were "probably planning for after the locals". The town hall elections could prove to be a perilous moment for the PM as the Conservatives are currently on course to suffer heavy losses.
One source suggested the two figures had always been "quite tight" and dined together frequently given their constituency link.
Others pondered whether Lord Hague was offering the Cabinet minister advice on the unfolding Russia-Ukraine crisis, having served as Foreign Secretary under David Cameron for more than four years.
The couples' quiet get-together will, however, fuel rumours about Mr Sunak's ambitions to move into No10, not least as the Tory has been critical of the PM after the publication of senior civil servant Sue Gray's report
The senior Tory said he was "appalled" at Mr Johnson's failure to tackle the drinking culture in No10 during the pandemic, later adding that Mr Johnson "should be very worried" after his apology in the Commons.
The Mirror has contacted Lord Hague for comment.
