Jacob Rees-Mogg poses with Walkers and Pringles after Yorkshire Tea online abuse
Jacob Rees-Mogg has pledged his allegiance to Walkers crisps in a social media post poking fun at fellow cabinet member Rishi Sunak, after the new Chancellor was ridiculed for posing with Yorkshire tea.
The Somerset MP was pictured in his study with a bag of Walkers and a tube of Pringles, reassuring makers of "artisan crisps" that they were in "no danger".
He tweeted: "I am a Walker’s crisps man or Pringles when I’m feeling extravagant."
Yorkshire Tea received abuse on social media after newly-appointed Chancellor Rishi Sunak posted a photo of himself online with the product.
Administrators of the teamaker's Twitter account told people to "be kind" after they received abuse and others said to boycott the brand.
ITV News Political Correspondent Robert Peston also got in on the joke, posting a photo of himself pouring out a cuppa of Peston tea.
Social media users were quick to joke about a robe hanging behind Mr Rees-Mogg, which had taken on a spectre-like form.
Football commentator and Walkers Crisps brand ambassador, Gary Lineker, replying to a suggestion that the MP was after his job, said: “He’ll have to be quick, looks like the Grim Reaper is behind him.”
Comedian David Baddiel wrote: “Slightly surprised, given that this is a jolly tweet about crisps, that Jacob hasn’t made more effort to hide his Grim Reaper cloak.”
Walkers Crisps joked that its social media team had tripled in size in order to reply to the comments, saying: “There’s three of us now”.
Curators reassured people that they had not been subject to online similar abuse as Yorkshire Tea.
“Just enjoying a lovely cup of @YorkshireTea and waiting for all this to blow over” the brand tweeted.