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Tory activists marched on Parliament in a bizarre show of support for leadership candidate Andrea Leadsom.

Footage of Tory MP Tim Loughton, her campaign chief, leading the crowd through Westminster has triggered a wave of ridicule on social media.

In painfully awkward scenes, he leads the “posh” protesters in chants of “What do we want? Leadsom for leader!”

“When do we want it? Now!”

The clip shows the smartly-dressed activists strolling along the pavement, alongside others in bright blue T-shirts emblazoned with “#RALLY4LEADSOM”.

They marched on Parliament after Ms Leadsom had earlier addressed the group at a rally.

The Brexit-backer is the second favourite to become the next Conservative leader and prime minister behind Theresa May, with the final two candidates set to be announced today ahead of a deciding vote by the Tory membership.

But the protest was met with a raft of jibes on social media, with Peter Dyke tweeting: “Oh god this Leadsom rally is all kinds of embarrassing.

“Posh British people trying to do American style politics. Cringe!”

Another tweeter wrote: “Looks like a protest by bankers to get their bonuses back.”

“I feel a bit silly and I am not even there,” wrote another.

And Emma Clifford simply said: “Oh, that is painful.”

Andrea Leadsom promised to "banish the pessimists" in her speech this morning as she spoke about her economic plans.

She promised "prosperity, not austerity" and said she would be a "realistic, but optimistic" leader for the post-Brexit age.

It came amid controversy over claims that the success of her career in the City has been exaggerated.

The Times has reported comments from former colleague Robert Stephens on the Reaction website suggesting that, while at Invesco Perpetual, "she did not manage any teams, large or small, and she certainly did not manage any funds".

She has since published details of her CV, which her spokesman said "comprehensively disproves the letter's assertions".