Culture war issues, lurid rumours of affairs, business dealings and questionable tax statuses are flying back and forth between candidates
It has all the makings of a political noir: a secret meeting in a Westminster pub where one machiavellian operator spinning for a would-be prime minister hands a dossier of evidence to the opposition party in order to smear their rivals.
And like all the best Westminster rumours, it has a basis in truth. But the truth is perhaps even more unbelievable than the story. The reality is that multiple campaigns have been in touch with the Labour party to distribute rumours about their rivals.