By Helen Stuart
Perched on the emerald-leather encased cushion, I crane my neck to get a glimpse of the battle below. The crowd alternately cheers and jeers as thinly-veiled insults about brotherly love are slung across and the victim retaliates with sharp barbs of his own. Wimbledon springs to mind as the assembled journalists’ heads swivel back and forth as David Cameron and Ed Miliband spar. It’s just as pantomimic as it appears on television – more so, perhaps, as the hacks join in, groaning at the weak puns and flustered faces of the party leaders.
Fight over, the spectators disperse and eventually congregate outside for a post-match analysis. “Who do you think won that?” asks my companion. “Cameron’s probably the more confident speaker, but neither of them came off that well to be honest,” I offer cautiously. I’d normally be more forthright in my opinion, but speaking to the political editor of the Financial Times inside the House of Commons after Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) puts a different spin on things.
I’m here to interview City alumnus George Parker for a feature in this year’s XCity. He meets me at the entrance to Portcullis House and whisks me away through the Hogwarts-esque corridors of power (in terms of architecture and interior design of course – in no way am I hinting that the Coalition is in the grips of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named). After a quick tour of the Houses, chambers and halls, we debrief in the press canteen and chat over a cup of coffee. George points out the chief press secretaries, political editors and fellow former chairmen of the parliamentary press gallery (names are inscribed on a wooden plank on the wall – the golden paint of George’s name still fresh as he held the seat last year) as we mull over City’s reputation as fertile ground for love matches.
Before I leave, George takes me on a trip down ‘Burma Road’ – the rabbit warren of press rooms just upstairs from the Commons. Seeing as the vast majority of my knowledge of politics stems from TV, I can’t help but be impressed at how Thick of It this all is. “There’s a great pub for gossip in Whitehall called The Red Lion,” George tells me as I leave. Pernod with politics, shots with scandal…how can I resist?
You can read more about George Parker in this year’s XCity.
To find out what happened when XCity met Kelvin MacKenzie, just click here.