‘Yes, that’s what I had in mind,’ agreed the PM.
‘Then if things are delayed, I shall just have to make sure that I have some other worthy proposals I can talk about, which will use up time,’ said the Chancellor with a small frown. ‘I have been given a lot to consider. Mr Gilchrist, I am extremely grateful to you and your team for letting me have advance warning of what to anticipate. I hope I can live up to your expectations.’ He glanced back at the PM. ‘Perhaps I could retire with my team to work on Monday’s speech. I will report my proposals to Cabinet tomorrow evening?’
‘Yes, please,’ replied the PM. ‘Is there anything else?’
‘I have an observation,’ said Rafi. ‘If the wind had been blowing in the opposite direction, the City of London would have become the no-go area. I believe the terrorists would have thought of this, so my thinking is that they could have sizeable positions in both the Frankfurt and Chicago derivatives markets. I think we should strongly suggest that they do not open on Monday.’
‘Good point,’ said the Chancellor. ‘Leave that with me.’
The meeting had finished. The PM spoke to Aidan’s team. ‘Would any of you like to watch Monday’s proceedings from the Gallery?’
‘If it’s alright with you, sir,’ Aidan replied, ‘we would prefer to watch with a couple of trading screens in front of us in order to see what the other markets make of the speeches.’
Saara spoke up. ‘I would like to take up your offer, please. I am ashamed to say that I’ve never been into the Houses of Parliament. This would make a good first time, I think.’
‘Of course.’
‘If you’ll excuse me,’ said the Chancellor. He picked up his papers and, deep in thought, headed for the door, followed by his team.
Aidan hovered by the door. ‘How on earth did you manage to get all that documentation together so quickly?’ Rafi asked.
‘It was a close run thing. We brought in a couple of Donald’s team to help with the word processing behind the scenes, plus we did a great deal copying and pasting from existing documents. A couple of large printer/photocopiers were shipped in from my offices and in the end we borrowed the PM’s secretarial team for the collation and binding of the documents. I reckon we did quite a good job!’ answered Aidan proudly.
‘Truly outstanding considering the circumstances,’ replied Rafi.
‘Would you like to join us for a quick bite to eat?’
Rafi was about to say yes when the PM beckoned him to stay behind with his permanent secretary.
‘Unfortunately, it seems I still have a few things to do. Let’s get together for lunch soon, though.’
The room emptied leaving just the PM and Rafi. The tense atmosphere that had characterised the previous meeting remained. The PM picked up the phone and Kate was shown in. ‘Sorry, I don’t have that much time; I have another meeting due to start in five minutes. I wanted to speak to you both. I had considered leaving it until this was all over, but it didn’t seem appropriate, given all you’ve both gone through and done.’
The PM drew breath. ‘It’s not possible for me to fully express my gratitude. Your foresight has given us the opportunity to come out of this disaster with some vestige of hope for the future.’ He had a serious look on his tired face. ‘Mr Khan and Inspector Adams, were I to be in a position to grant you a request, what might it be?’
Rafi looked at the Prime Minister and then across to Kate. He sensed that his first wish had been granted. He had found someone with whom he would enjoy spending time; hopefully a great deal of time. Rafi returned his gaze to the Prime Minister. ‘I’m not certain whether I need anything, thank you, sir.’
‘But come now, there must be something?’
Rafi thought for no more than a few seconds. It dawned on him that here was an opportunity of a lifetime – he could do something that would have made his hard-working parents proud. Rafi took a deep breath. ‘Well, here goes. Would it be possible for there to be a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace, where those invited are drawn from Muslim communities throughout the United Kingdom? Not the movers and shakers, but rather the quiet, hard-working, first-class citizens who help to make this country tick. For too long they’ve been unappreciated and disenfranchised.’
The Prime Minister thought for a moment. ‘Yes, I like your idea of acknowledging those who quietly get things done.’
‘Also, it would be much appreciated if my flat could be given a bit of a tidy up!’
The PM smiled and nodded. ‘Consider it done.’
‘Detective Inspector, is there anything we might do for you?’
Kate thought for a moment. ‘Could I have a couple of weeks’ leave starting as of Monday evening? I’d like to recharge my batteries and get to know someone I’ve recently met,’ she said with a grin.
Rafi felt a warm glow building inside him. He looked across at Kate approvingly. The Prime Minister nodded. ‘I suggest that you speak to your boss and say that I asked you to spend a couple of weeks overseeing Mr Khan’s recuperation, following the unfortunate events at Paddington Green.’
‘Sir, there is one other thing,’ said Rafi. ‘It’s more a comment rather than a wish. I’m not a vindictive man; however, in my experience as a fund manager, the vast majority of people in positions of influence get there because they’re good at their job or, in a few cases, because no one else is willing to pick up a poisoned chalice.’
Rafi put his hand into his pocket and pulled out a tape. ‘I have here a recording of the interview between a junior minister and me. He was sent with a press entourage by the stand-in Home Secretary to interview me minutes before the Stratford missiles were launched – no doubt to use his actions as spin to deflect what was going on elsewhere. This is the original tape. There are no copies.’
Rafi hesitated. ‘Sir, the contents are, I believe, political dynamite. On second thoughts, Prime Minister, you would be better off not listening to it. Hypothetically speaking, if it transpired that the Stratford missile attack could have been averted, had it not been for an obsession with spin which fatally delayed key information getting through, it would damage politicians and politics irreparably. And currently, there’s more than enough to sort out; starting a blame game would only be counterproductive.’ Rafi hesitated again. ‘As I see it, a growing number of politicians spout forth initiatives and policies, but have little or no idea of change management and the workings of the real world. They’ve become obsessed with spin and looking good in the eyes of the media and have forgotten about implementation.’
The PM looked tense.
‘What I ask,’ continued Rafi, ‘Is that whoever listens to this tape should consider whether or not spin interfered with the course of events. For example, without the obsession with spin, would the train have been stopped sooner and thus been outside the terrorist’s line of sight? If they agree that the Stratford attack could have been prevented, I ask you to set up a task force to report on how the Civil Service can change the way they and politicians deal with the media, such that the current practice of spinning, giving misleading information and part-truths, becomes a thing of the past. As I see it, at the moment too many senior politicians have little more than political research and think tank experience, and have become obsessed with perception rather than practicalities and substance.’
The Prime Minister looked at Rafi. ‘Are you telling me that this tape is evidence that spin by a member of my Government prevented you from stopping a terrorist attack? And that this is the only copy?’
Rafi nodded and said, ‘I couldn’t possibly comment Prime Minister, but I can assure you, you do not want to hear the contents of the tape.’
The PM thought for a few moments. ‘I shall do as you request and if the head of the Civil Service confirms that the contents are as inflammatory as you say, I shall indeed ask him to undertake a full root and branch review of how politicians, their spokespeople and the Civil Service deal with the media.’ He stopped, deep in thought, for what seemed like a long time, but was probably no more than a few seconds.