CHAPTER 12
NOAH HUGHES HAD one of the most meteoric political careers that ever existed in England, he was born in London but spent much of his life in Totley , near Sheffield . Son of merchant Ian Donald Hughes and his wife, Marianne Fleur Mont, the second daughter of Sir William Mont. His father was born at Blairmore School , near Huntly , Scotland , which was built by his great— great— grandfather Alexander Hughes on his maternal grandfather Donald Ewen Mont, who had made a fortune in the Chicago grain business and had returned to Scotland in 1880 .
The Hughes family was originally from Inverness , in the Highlands area. scottish. Noah is also descended from the German — born Jewish banker Emile Levita .
His brother, Erick, was what everyone could call a good vivant, who enjoyed his life at the expense of Noah's political success, and as usual, his mother covered up her myriad ways of dishonoring her family name.
— How long are you going to run your hand over his head, Mom?
— When you were a boy, you did yours too.
— No... and you know that very well, if I got where I am, it's because I was extremely responsible.
The mother affectionately stroked her son's face and said:
— A mother always knows the things a child does, my dear, never forget that you are almost perfect, even so, there is still a long way to reach perfection.
HIS PATERNAL FAMILY had a long history in the financial world: Noah's great— grandfather Arthur Francis Hughes, brother of Sir Cecil Hughes of stockbrokers agency Panmure Gordon and his great— great— grandfather Sir Ewen Hughes, director of the London office of the Bank of Hong Kong and Shanghai, took a leading role in the Rothschild— led negotiations with the Governor of the Bank of Japan, and later the Japanese Prime Minister, for the sale of bonds during the Russo— Japanese War .
LIKE HIS FOREGOERS Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron, Noah Hughes was a direct descendant of a crowned head. In his case, he was a descendant of King William IV of the United Kingdom and his lover Dorothea Jordan , in the line of his father's maternal grandmother, Stephanie, daughter of Sir Alfred Cooper , who was the father of fellow politician and writer Duff Cooper , grandfather of editor and writer Rupert Hart— Davis and historian John Julius Norwich , and great— grandfather of television presenter Adam Hart— Davis and journalist and writer Duff Hart— Davis . Her mother was a second cousin of the writer and political critic Ferdinand Mont .
HUGHES STUDIED PHILOSOPHY, Politics and Economics (PPE) at Brasenose College at Oxford , earning a first— class degree. He then joined the Conservative Investigation Department and became special adviser to Norman Lamont , and then to Michael Howard . He was Director of Corporate Affairs at Carlton Communications for seven years.
He was defeated in his first candidacy for Parliament at Stafford, but was later elected as a Member of Parliament for the Witney constituency in Oxfordshire . Getting promoted to the front seat of the opposition two years later, and rose quickly to become head of political coordination during the campaign.
With a public image of a moderate, young candidate that would appeal to young voters, especially the female audience who aspired to be Hughes, won the Conservative leadership election.
Hughes worked in the Conservative Research Department upon leaving Oxford, becoming an adviser to former Conservative Prime Minister John Krane. For seven years, he was head of public affairs for commercial broadcaster Carlton, being elected to the Conservative chair by Witney in the House of Commons .
He became leader of the opposition and sought to end Conservative resistance to full UK integration into the European Union and tried to reposition the Conservatives as a party that cared about the environment and the British public health system. As far as possible, it brought in more women and ethnic minority candidates. Thus, he sought to renew the party, removing the old leaders. It also sought to capitalize on the latest scandals over congressional spending, which shook Gordon Brown 's Labor government , creating the image of someone committed to morality in politics. His work for the preservation of the environment earned him international recognition.
IN THE GENERAL ELECTION , held on May 6, the Conservatives won 306 seats in a divided Parliament. After five days of negotiation, Hughes formed a coalition with the Lib Dems, forming the UK's first coalition government since World War II . At the age of 35, he became the youngest British Prime Minister since the Earl of Liverpool's tenure in 1812. He was also the second Englishman to be Premier, since John Major .
With the resignation of the Prime Minister before him, after the elections, he went to work on the formation of the new cabinet, the first Conservative in thirteen years and the first coalition since 1974 , Cabinet of Harold Wilson . Cameron was the youngest British Prime Minister in 200 years.
It was at this troubled moment that Noah Hughes separated from his wife, who had a high position in the Special Forces and both, despite loving each other, had made too many sacrifices.
IN HIS FIRST SPEECH outside 10 Downing Street, Noah Hughes announced that his party would form a coalition government , the first since World War II , with the Liberals. Democrats , therefore, neither side achieved an absolute majority in Parliament in the 2010 general election .
Hughes stated that:
— My administration will forget about partisan differences and work for the common good and national interest.
His political enemies would never forget these words.
In one of its first official actions, it was to appoint Mário Balañes, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, as Deputy Prime Minister, on May 11 of that year, thus, the Conservatives and Liberals came to control 363 seats in the House of Commons, giving them majority to form a government.
Noah Hughes caught an economy in recession. Several economic measures were adopted to reverse the stagnation, such as: reducing taxes for some sectors and cutting spending, but the country's growth was timid in the following years. However, Hughes has seen progress along the way, such as reducing unemployment.
But just in the first quarter of his term, the scandal involving his close friend and former MI6 agent Paul Leaks put his position to the test and would become the shadow of his tenure.
After years of stagnation, the country began to show consistent economic growth, one of the largest in Europe, and to solve the financial problems, it adopted several austerity measures , which affected the health system, education, social assistance and even the Royal Family. was affected. Laws to reform and toughen the immigration system were also passed.
Despite the focus on domestic politics, his government also saw crises abroad. In one of the most important votes, in terms of foreign relations, was his defeat, the first in 100 years for a Prime Minister in relation to foreign policy, in the motion he wanted to pass, however, it was vetoed in the House of Commons, which aimed to authorizing an armed intervention in the Syrian Civil War , following the chemical attack in Ghouta , which left over 1,700 dead. Among other issues were also his view that the UK should withdraw from the European Union (EU).
HUGHES BECAME the first British leader to veto an EU treaty. And agreed to go ahead with the referendum on independence of Scotland 2014 , although he did not agree with that.
Noah also became the first foreign leader to visit the city of Jaffna , following the end of the bloody Sri Lankan Civil War . Approved British participation in NATO's armed intervention in the Libyan Civil War.
Noah Hughes and the Scottish leadership agreed to hold a popular referendum on Scottish independence . From day one, the Prime Minister had been against the secession proposal and would have reluctantly accepted the referendum. In September, along with several British politicians, they made calls for Scots to vote against separation. In the end, even though he ended up with the result that Noah wanted, the — no— won with 55% of the votes, his stance during and shortly after the referendum, was criticized by political analysts and by Scottish nationalists.
At the end of the same month, the British Parliament passed an important motion authorizing British armed intervention in Iraq , which had descended into the chaos of a new civil war three years after the withdrawal of Western troops from the country. In early December, Parliament passed a motion by his government to expand British air strikes into Syria , with the aim of weakening the Islamic State in the region.
ON MAY 7, Hughes led the Conservative Party to an absolute majority in the UK Parliament in the general election , with 36.9% of the vote or 11,334,920 voters, thus securing another term in the office of Prime Minister.
Hughes was hailed for revitalizing and modernizing the British Conservative Party as well as stabilizing the country's economy and controlling the national public debt. At the same time, he also received much criticism, from both sides of the political spectrum , who accused him of political opportunism and social elitism.
During his rule, he appeared several times in the top ten on Forbes magazine's list as one of the most powerful people in the world, and was the first English politician to appear on the cover of Playboy.
***
THE EMBASSY OF COLOMBIA in London was a diplomatic mission of the Republic of Colombia to the United Kingdom. It is headed by the Ambassador of Colombia to the United Kingdom and was located in the district of Knightsbridge, in a building that it shares with the Embassy of Ecuador, close to Harrods, Hyde Park and Hans Place, precisely at, 3 Hans Crescent, at the intersection of Basil Street., and is served by Knightsbridge station.
The structure that houses the embassy is a red brick building with a white stucco facade. The embassy was a suite of rooms that occupied part of the ground floor of the building, which has been described as an — apartment block— .
All the media were in front of the embassy waiting for the British Prime Minister, Noah Hughes and Nestor Muñeda, the ambassador, was at the door to welcome the distinguished guest.
NOAH LEFT OUT OF HIS official VEHICLE, an adapted Jaguar XJ, it was one of the most famous vehicles in the kingdom, he waved to the cameras and with his usual smile that had put him at the post, he attended to three journalists before being greeted by Nestor Muñeda who was swamped by the flashes, after all, relations between the two countries were shaken, after Colombia had offered political asylum to Paul Leaks.
— It is an honor to have you in our humble embassy, Prime Minister, even more so as we celebrate such a special and important date as this, it is not every day that we complete two hundred years of excellent relations between our countries.
Great? You betrayed me, you sons of bitches...
Noah shook his hand a little longer than usual, so the cameras could have the best possible flash of that historic moment, they were celebrating two hundred years of relations with the country.
— You know better than anyone why I'm here, Mr Ambassador, and I really hope you're not wasting my time.
'Of course, Prime Minister, I assure you this party is more of a farewell than a celebration, if you know what I mean.
Noah Hughes smiled.
— I hope so, Muñeda.
— You have nothing to worry about.
He nodded.
'Mr Prime Minister, what's it like confronting Paul Leaks for the first time after all he's done?'
Noah just nodded and pretended not to hear the questions aimed at Leaks.
— Is it true you were friends?
— Minister… — said Muñeda — I am sure that…
— Of course there is — Noah cut through his teeth — let's just wave and smile, today is a day of celebration and not a political campaign.
The ambassador agreed and walked into the building, accompanied by the Prime Minister and his entourage.
NOAH HUGHES ALWAYS THOUGHT that embassy was one of the poorest in London, even more having to share it with another country, which also didn't add anything. Ecuador.
AFTER FOLLOWING the protocol of greeting the most relevant people at the party, from afar he saw Paul Leaks, who raised his glass towards him, greeting him with his charismatic smile that always delighted crowds, when everyone noticed the clash, there was a silence sepulchral, and Noah Hughes returned the nod in the most cordial way anyone could receive.
Noah Hughes was alone for a few moments, when Paul Leaks approached him and said:
— How long, Prime Minister.
Noah chivalrously extended his hand to his former friend, there didn't seem to be any hint of rancor in his attitude.
— I don't know if I can say the same, Paul.
— For my part, nothing has changed, Noah.
— Everything has changed, Paul... Everything will always change with you around.
The two leaders had once been good friends, and now their lives were tied only to the arrest of the most famous among them.
— If you surrender, Paul, it's the best for everyone, I'll go out with you... guaranteeing you all the security you need.
That's exactly what will happen...
— Unfortunately I can't do that, today is just the first day of the rest of our lives, Noah.
— I didn't want to be the person who gives you the good news, but the Colombian president has already released my men to come in in the morning and arrest him.
— For each day its own evil fits, Noah.
— An atheist quoting the Bible?
— I'm not an atheist, I only believe in what one really should believe, an atheist is someone who doesn't believe in anything, and I believe a lot in technology.
Paul lifted the glass again and without Noah's permission, touched his glass in a toast.
— Tim Tim...