David Davis, who worked closely with Mr Barnier for several years as the UK’s Brexit Secretary, told the BBC he was “a really solid Frenchman” who was “well-grounded in the real France”.

"A well-grounded suspicion does warrant more follow-ups but also might not hit the high threshold for overturning the result."

But a government-appointed special rapporteur said there was “well-grounded suspicion” Mr. Dong also had help from a hidden source as he vied for the Liberal Party’s nomination: the Chinese Consulate.

Despite these far-fetched ambitions, Rothblatt has funded a wealth of well-grounded research for decades, and her company United Therapeutics has propelled much of the recent progress in xenotransplantation.

“Soon, the Sudanese state with its well-grounded institutions will rise as victorious, and attempts to hijack our country will be aborted forever,” the Sudanese military said on social media Saturdya.