On Tuesday evening, the five leadership hopefuls for the Conservative party entered into a tense debate on BBC 1, during which they discussed their Brexit strategies.
Things got so tense, in fact, that one of the contenders, the international development secretary Rory Stewart, decided to remove his tie halfway through the proceedings.
Speaking on Radio 4 about why he'd removed his tie after the debate, Stewart simply said:
I took off my tie I think because, I wanted to take my tie off and it seemed like a good idea at the time.
Well, that's a good reason as any other, we suppose.
Many viewers were baffled by the swift removal of the tie, with many political commentators calling the decision 'bizarre'.
However, it also delighted many other Twitter users, who wondered about what his motivations were.
Rory's taken his tie off mid-debate! Trying to get attention or just feeling uncomfortable? https://t.co/wUbkSkyDOV— Matt Dathan (@Matt Dathan) 1560885644
Some thought that perhaps he was involved in a kind of strange 'strip polka' game.
Has Rory Stewart removed his tie during the second question? Is he going to remove another item with each round as… https://t.co/qo7ootlabP— Isabel Hardman (@Isabel Hardman) 1560885541
Others felt that they could relate.
We’ve all done it... #tiesoff https://t.co/qOLDLOGb9w— Nick Eardley (@Nick Eardley) 1560885890
You can call me by my first name, kids!
Did Rory Stewart take his tie off in the first 30 seconds and say, “kids you can call me by my first name, Rory.”— Mollie Goodfellow (@Mollie Goodfellow) 1560885497
Perhaps the whole thing was... strategic?
My timeline’s chocka with people talking about Rory Stewart’s tie removal... so it’s proven a canny move to win med… https://t.co/bWGZpn1oKv— Lucy Fisher (@Lucy Fisher) 1560886249
That was quite a Lionel Hutz move.
Rory Stewart going all Lionel Hutz with his disappearing tie #BBCOurnextPM https://t.co/XzBqgDrYwL— Samuel Luckhurst (@Samuel Luckhurst) 1560886084
Others just thought it was pretty cringe-worthy.
Rory Stewart taking his tie off mid-debate is unbelievably cringeworthy https://t.co/WE8zOtKhfx— Hannah Jane Parkinson (@Hannah Jane Parkinson) 1560885735
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