The Spectator summer party, in pictures | 4 July 2019

While the cat's away, the mice will play. Or, while the two leadership finalists take part in a hustings in Yorkshire and Humber, their supporters will find time to position themselves for jobs, plot and drink some Pol Roger. On Thursday evening, former Tory leadership candidates and cabinet ministers all descended on 22 Old Queen Street for this year's Spectator summer party, kindly sponsored by The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

The battle for the position of Chancellor was clearly underway in the Spectator office as two of the main contenders, Liz Truss and Matt Hancock, worked the room and charmed their Conservative colleagues.

While Theresa May's Cabinet turned out in force, as Amber Rudd, Penny Mordaunt, David Lidington, Chris Grayling, David Gauke, and Michael Gove all made their way to the Spectator to drink champagne and toast the end of the May administration.

Here are a range of photos from the evening, courtesy of Alan Davidson and Anne Schwarz:

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Julia Hartley-Brewer and Graham Brady[/caption]

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Geoff White, Stephen Ashworth, and Marion Ellis, RICS sponsors[/caption]

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Jo Johnson[/caption]

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David Lidington and Andrew Marr[/caption]

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Taki and Michael Heath[/caption]

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Priti Patel and Amber Rudd[/caption]

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Andrew Marr[/caption]

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Martin Ivens and Bim Afolami[/caption]

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Matt Hancock and Tristram Hunt[/caption]

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Beth Rigby and Kay Burley[/caption]

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Damian Green[/caption]

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Peter Hitchens[/caption]

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Toby Young and Andrew Roberts[/caption]

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Priti Patel[/caption]

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Susan Nilsson and Andrew Neil[/caption]

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Tim Shipman and Liz Truss[/caption]

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Charles Moore and Norman Lamont[/caption]

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Katy Balls and James Forsyth[/caption]

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David Gauke and Carolyn Quinn[/caption]

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Taki[/caption]

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James Cleverly[/caption]

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The Spectator model bus[/caption]

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Matt Hancock and Norman Lamont[/caption]

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Linda Nelson, Cindy Yu and Sophia Money Coutts[/caption]

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Tom Morgan, Sophie Gaston, Sebastian Payne and Ed Cumming[/caption]

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John Pienaar and Penny Davies[/caption]

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Peter Cardwell, Steph Lis, Dan Hodges and Claire Coutinho[/caption]

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Amber Rudd and James Forsyth[/caption]

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Helen Lederer[/caption]

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Chris Grayling and Robert Peston[/caption]

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Anne McElvoy[/caption]

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Andrew Gimson and Jo Johnson[/caption]

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Simon Jenkins[/caption]

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Tim Shipman, Ellie Lyons and Dan Hodges[/caption]

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Tristram Hunt and Fraser Nelson[/caption]

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Linda Nelson and Henry Newman[/caption]

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Liz Truss and Claire Fox[/caption]

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Piers Morgan and Tristram Hunt[/caption]

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Rod Liddle[/caption]

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James Delingpole[/caption]

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Grayson Perry[/caption]

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Jo Coburn and Amber Botton[/caption]

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Adam Boulton[/caption]

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Henry Newman and Ayesha Hazarika[/caption]

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Jo Coburn[/caption]

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Cindy Yu and Katy Balls[/caption]

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Isabel Oakeshott and Charlie Elphicke[/caption]

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Nick King[/caption]

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Taki and Michael Heath[/caption]

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Victoria Atkins and Olivia Robey[/caption]

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Petronella Wyatt[/caption]

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Daisy and Alice Dunn[/caption]

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Tom Newton Dunn and Diane Abbott[/caption]

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Tanya Gold and Sam Leith[/caption]

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Stephen Parkinson, Andy Silvester, Melissa McAdden[/caption]

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James Forsyth and David Gauke[/caption]

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Anastasia Zaporojtchenko, Ben Burman, Danielle Wall and Marcus Berkmann[/caption]

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Diane Abbott and Matt Hancock[/caption]

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Graham Brady and Robert Peston[/caption]

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Nigel Havers[/caption]

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Julia Hartley-Brewer, Richard Tice and Isabel Oakeshott[/caption]

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Dominic Lawson[/caption]

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Michael Cockerell and Joy Lo Dico[/caption]

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Ranald MacDonald, Amber Rudd and Flora Gill[/caption]

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Clementine Hain-Cole, Lara Prendergast and Alice Hancock[/caption]

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Chris Grayling[/caption]