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Tory Black & White Ball auctions a night in Annabel’s – for £110,000

It’s the Black & White Ball tonight, a lavish Conservative fundraiser at which David Cameron tries to milk as much cash as he can from squillionaires – while trying, somehow, to avoid being seen as the leader of the party of the rich. It’s a hard line to walk, which is why there is a strict ban on journalists. But Mr S has sneaked in anyway – and what a sight!

At up to £1,500 a ticket, it’s not a gig many hacks can afford. The net worth at the Grosvenor House Hotel tonight must run into the billions, yet no champagne! However, Mr S hears a whisper that not all guests were aware of the bubbly ban with one table asking a waiter where their fizz was.

At first, the auction looked like an attempt at austerity chic, but things soon picked up with a shoe-shopping session with Theresa May, with a £500 voucher included. Before long, the mask completely slipped. By Lot 4, the Tories were auctioning a ‘Luxury Chalet for 12 in Verbier’. All in this together, eh!

But what really caught Mr S’s eye was the ‘additional’ auction lot: ‘A night to remember’ in Annabel’s nightclub. It went for £110,000.

Selfies at least were free, with the Prime Minister taking time out of his evening to pose with snap happy attendees.

UPDATE The class envy on Twitter has started already:

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UPDATE: A dinner date with Sajid Javid, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, and his wife at the Carlton Club has just been snapped up. 

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Steerpike is The Spectator's gossip columnist, serving up the latest tittle tattle from Westminster and beyond. Email tips to steerpike@spectator.co.uk or message @MrSteerpike

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