They say that what goes on tour should stay on tour – but despite that maxim, intriguing stories are starting to emerge about last weekend’s parliamentary rugby trip to France.
The trip was enjoyed by Angela Rayner, her boyfriend Sam Tarry and a high-spirited former Labour MP who is said to have been taped to a chair as ‘punishment’ and ended up with a bruised head.
At one point it even involved Winston Churchill’s grandson Nicholas Soames, when Ms Rayner rang him to say that they had lost their tour mascot – a teddy bear called Winston.
The trip, which was timed to coincide with the Six Nations match between France and England in Paris, started on the Friday with a dinner near the Palace of Versailles organised by Paul Farrelly, the former Labour MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme.
A source said of the meal: ‘It was not a success. It consisted of spam and tomatoes with a bit of bread for 50 euros.’
The following day, after losing to a local French rugby team – and drowning their sorrows in a bar – Mr Tarry is said to have led a ‘court’ trial of Mr Farrelly, which delivered the ‘punishment’ of parading him to the front of a pub and tying him to a chair.
According to a source, Mr Farrelly ‘did not seem to be overly amused’ following the incident as they headed back to their 4-star Crowne Plaza hotel in central Paris to watch England suffer a narrow defeat to the French.
At some point, Ms Rayner rang Sir Nicholas to impart the news about Winston. He, by contrast, was amused, telling The Mail on Sunday on Saturday that he thought the call was ‘absolutely bloody marvellous’ and how Ms Rayner had been ‘very sweet’.
Angela Rayner and her rugby-playing boyfriend Sam Tarry attended a lively parliamentary tour to France
Paul Farrelly, the former Labour MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme, during the trip
A source also claims that Ms Rayner joked to the group that she would Facetime the Prime Minister, saying: ‘He will definitely pick up.’
The rest of the day is clouded in mystery. Mr Tarry, the former MP for Ilford South – who, like Mr Farrelly, was dressed in parliamentary jacket and tie – has told friends that at some point Mr Farrelly fell over in the street and hurt his head.
Whatever happened, it seems it spurred on Ms Rayner. On Tuesday, she gave a speech widely interpreted as the start of a leadership bid, lambasting the Government’s flagship immigration plans and warning Labour is ‘running out of time’.
Mr Farrelly said on Saturday night: ‘There was no “parading” by Sam or “botched restaurant booking”, either. This just looks like more political mischief-making. Angela watches the rugby when her partner Sam plays for the team.’
