The rise of relatively unknown MPs to the pinnacles of government is a triumph for one of Westminster’s little-known dining groups — the Curry Club.
While history’s most famous political plotting may have been carried out in the fine restaurants of St James’s and Islington, the 2010 intake of MPs chose chicken tikka masala and lager at the Pimlico Tandoori, a stone’s throw from Parliament.
Here they would discuss policy, and how the party should shape up and reform after 13 years of Labour rule. They were also known for their extraordinary ambition.
Spearheaded by new Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson, Curry Club members were said to have included Tracey Crouch, now sports minister, Steve Barclay, recently promoted to economic secretary, and Phillip Lee, parliamentary under-secretary at the Department for Justice.
Julian Smith, who took over from Mr Williamson as chief whip yesterday, is also said to have been a regular. Andrew Percy, who enjoyed a spell as Northern Powerhouse minister and Alun Cairns, the Secretary of State for Wales, are also fond of a night of political discussion over a biryani.
The 2010 intake used the meetings of the Curry Club to work out how they would develop their own place within the party. One former attendee said: “It was such a wide-ranging intake of people — we all had wide-ranging careers outside of politics. Most of us had a pedigree in the sense that we had fought no-hope seats before.
“The group from 2010 are doing well now because they had a lot of time to bed in and the people elected were the ones who were keeping the flag flying when we were against Blair.”
An MP said: “We are all very supportive of each other and have always made sure we’ve got each other’s contacts — and this was before WhatsApp!”
Their niche was an innate understanding of working-class voters, having been on standby for a general election since 2007.
The Curry Club that Mr Williamson created seven years ago is now well-placed to spice things up at the heart of Westminster.
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