Why did Rory Stewart take his tie off? Body language expert reveals move is ‘COPIED'

“Why did Rory Stewart take his tie off?” was the question on the lips of many last night.

Rory Stewart, born in Hong Kong, is currently the Secretary of State for International Development of the United Kingdom but he is running to be the leader of the Conservative Party and therefore Prime Minister.

Last night he faced off against Boris Johnson, Michael Gove, Jeremy Hunt and Sajid Javid.

A body language analysed Rory’s bizarre move when he removed his tie mid-debate last night.

Why did Rory Stewart take his tie off?

Body language expert Judi James told Express.co.uk: “Making the decision to wear or not wear a tie to a debate like this would be quite a simple decision, and in keeping with Rory’s ‘cool guy’ image and desire to look different it would have been no surprise if he’d turned up tie-less from the start.

“To arrive wearing a tie and to then strip it off mid-debate involves much more complex thinking though.”

The expert believes that Rory is calling on past examples of successful politicians in his behaviour.

“Many of Rory’s body language behaviours and rituals look copied with previous political successes in mind,” she said.

“His one hand in the pocket pose during the Sunday debate was a close copy of the body language stance Nick Clegg adopted during the 2010 debate when Clegg’s casual approach and his apparent siding with the audience while calling the other politicians out on stage out did help make him an overnight star as it did with Rory on Sunday.”

So who could have inspired Rory’s decision to whip off his tie?

“The tie removal was reminiscent of a talk that John Major did where he suddenly came round from the lectern and stripped off his jacket and flung it to the floor to suggest a more honest, open and less formal conversation,” Judi said.

“It created a stir at the time and when Rory removed his tie it gave a similar feel that he was getting down to business by ‘taking his gloves off.’”

The expert revealed there was a clever effect created by this move, which may or may not have been intended.

Judi said: “However there is another by-product effect to this small but powerful ritual in that it would upstage the other speakers.

“Actors on stage tend to keep relatively still during another actor’s scene but Rory’s constant laughing, leaning forward in his seat, stretching and looking around as though distracted did steal audience attention from the other men on stage with him.

“This might have been spontaneous rather than deliberate but like us they were probably trying to speak while wondering why he was removing his tie mid-debate at the same time.

When asked why he took is tie off Rory Stewart told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “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.”

During the debate, Rory admitted he would rule out a no-deal Brexit.

He said: “In the end, we’re in a room with a door and the door is called Parliament, and I am the only person here trying to find the key to the door.

“Everybody else is staring at the wall shouting ‘believe in Britain’.”