London Diary

The Republican National Convention has attracted a slew of far-right extremists like Liz Truss, Russell Brand and Boris Johnson from across the pond to Milwaukee. But they aren’t the only major British exports at the four-day conference. Attendees have been drinking posh gin and tonics because the RNC was supplied by posh British tonic brand Fever-Tree. This has sparked perhaps the biggest middle-class boycott in history, with angry customers vowing on social media to disown their favorite mixer and the hashtag #BoycottFeverTree trending on X.

The company is trying to limit the damage, stressing that it is not “sponsoring” the convention. “We are a non-political beverage brand,” a spokesperson told us. “The Democrats have a similar event in three months that we are also considering.” Going forward, Fever-Tree might do well to follow its own advice: “Mix with the best.”

Just dance with Vance

When short-lived prime minister and former MP Liz Truss heard that Donald Trump’s running mate JD Vance loved to denigrate Britain (he referred to us as an “Islamist state” last week), she was immediately on the lookout for a photo op. The two were photographed exchanging pleasantries at the party conference, with Truss describing him as “a real conservative and exactly what America needs.”

GB beers

Is everyone at GB News drunk all the time? Political commentator Stella Tsantekidou shared a picture of herself drinking a pint before she was due to appear on Jacob Rees Mogg’s evening show. “A couple of these and I’m off,” she wrote on X. Reform leader and GB News presenter Nigel Farage has also extolled the virtues of a pre-show tipple. “Incidentally, I’m the only person on British television who doesn’t use a teleprompter,” he said in a speech to mark his 60th birthday in April. “You know why? If you’re half drunk and reading the teleprompter, you’ll slur your words.”