Sutton sock firm claims Boris Johnson donned one of its pairs 'inside out'

Roy's Boys, based on Coxmoor Road, claim Conservative leadership and Prime Minister candidate Mr Johnson was snapped wearing the same pair of its knitted garments on three out of four days last month - and even wore them inside out.

The firm, which prints, knits and manufactures wacky sock ideas, recently went into partnership with the British Museum and the National Gallery to develop sock designs of historical figures and classic artwork.

And it says Mr Johnson, who is vying to become the country's next Prime Minister, was spotted wearing a pair of its knitted socks featuring King Ashurbanipal, an Assyrian Emperor who was named as 'king of all four corners of the world' - for three days in a row during June.

It also says Boris wore the pair inside out, and was able to do so through an "anti-bacterial agent" applied onto its socks which allows them to "stay fresher for longer".

Martin Lowe, Roy's Boys owner, said: “It’s great to see that our socks have managed to stand the test of time and be a clear favourite in Boris’s sock drawer.

“Whilst we don’t recommend that people wear their socks for three days without washing them, we do apply our socks with an anti-bacterial agent which means all of our socks stay fresher for longer than your average pair.”

Ben Lowe, the firm's account manager, added: “As sock experts, we are always on the lookout for sock related news articles to keep up-to-date with what’s happening within the industry.

“When we saw the pictures of Boris’s socks, we thought they looked familiar and soon realised they were from a collection we knitted for the British Museum.

"The design is of King Ashurbanipal, an Assyrian Emperor who was named as 'king of all four corners of the world'. Maybe Mr Johnson was trying to tell us something?"

Although the socks are no longer in production, Roy’s Boys had collaborated with a whole host of classic brands including the National Gallery and Lowry.

It also has a range of products including the 'Odd Socks' collection, which is available at its website roysboyssocks.co.uk.