Authority forgets a dying king. And with all of Boris Johnson’s current woes, it’s no surprise to read reports of would-be successors already on maneuvers. While few Tories think a leadership challenge is imminent, it’s no surprise that members of the Cabinet have been building up war chests that could come in handy were one to arise. For Mr Steerpike has been combing the Commons anti-sleaze registers to see which ‘big beasts’ of Johnson’s government have drummed up the biggest sums from wealthy donors since the beginning of the year.
Top of the pile is the great survivor Michael Gove, who heads the list with an impressive £167,000 worth of donations since January. Much of this came in the form of two separate £50,000 donations from Zachariasz ‘Zak’ Gertle, one of London’s top property moguls, with a further £10,000 in funds provided by David Cameron’s friend Lord Harris of Peckham. Rishi
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