A Tory MP has deleted a tweet about "sniffing dirty socks" after realising it had sexual undertones.
Nadine Dorries, who is campaigning for 'Brexit', launched a fierce attack on Chancellor George Osborne after a respected Tory announced he was backing the Remain campaign in the EU referendum - but swiftly retracted the comment after discovering sock sniffing is "actually a sexual fetish".
The story began with a tweet by Osborne welcoming Andrew Tyrie's decision to back staying in the bloc.
Tyrie is the chair of the respected Treasury select committee of MPs, so his endorsement lends the 'In' campaign weight.
But Dorries, an outspoken critic of Osborne as a "posh boy" in the past, smelled a rat and expressed as much in a colourful tweet.
"What did you promise Tyrie in return George Osborne? Knighthood? Lords? Lasagne on kitchen at No 11? Sniff of your dirty socks?"
But Twitter must have informed the MP for Mid Bedfordshire that "sniffing dirty socks" might not mean being close to power - which you assume is what she was trying to say.
"Oh gawd, I've just been told sock sniffing is actually a sexual fetish! I didn't mean that in any way whatsoever so, deleting that tweet."
Tyrie is one of the last Conservatives to show their hand on the EU, and will cite the effect on the UK economy as the chief reason behind his position. In a speech today, he will say:
“On the economic impact, most experts - among them Brexit supporters - have concluded that a short-term economic shock would almost certainly accompany leaving the EU.
"This would reduce the growth of GDP below the level it would otherwise achieve, probably bringing lower living standards.
"Most experts have concluded that there will also be a long run cost, although this is much less certain. There are economic risks to staying and leaving; but the risks are greater to leaving."
Labour MP Wes Streeting stepped in to condemn Dorries' original comments.
And, naturally, she stood by the tenor of the remarks.
And she went on:
Dorries, a long-time critic of Osborne and David Cameron, revealed recently she has already formally demanded the PM face a leadership challenge.
On ITV’s Peston on Sunday two weeks ago, she said the Prime Minister had “lied profoundly” during the EU referendum campaign.
In order to trigger a no confidence vote in Cameron, 50 Tory MPs have to write letters to the chairman of the Conservative Party’s backbench 1922 committee.
She has also previously labelled Cameron and Osborne “arrogant posh boys” who do not understand the lives of ordinary people.
“Unfortunately I think that not are only Cameron and Osborne two posh boys who don’t understand the price of milk,” she said.
“They are two arrogant posh boys who show no remorse, no contrition and no passion to want to understand the lives of others - and that is their real crime.”