CHAPTER 28
NOAH HUGHES WAS watching the Colombian embassy explosion live in the Cabinet Room and he couldn't believe what he was seeing, his phone started to ring wildly and he gave orders to rescue everyone alive if possible.
The Prime Minister's Office, located at 10 Downing Street, is headed by the Chief of Staff and staffed by a mix of career officials and special advisers . It provides the Prime Minister with support and advice on policy matters, communications with Parliament, government departments and Public Relations/Media.
Not only was the special team injured, but countless reporters and people protesting for Leaks' freedom, he saw the posters that read:
— Do not shoot the messenger
And that looked like the most complete form of contradiction I'd ever seen in my life... a kind of:
— Don't shoot me, but I can shoot you...
There's no way he could have changed that much in such a short time... he was a defender of freedom and now he was a murderer...
Hughes passed the main staircase, his craftsmen created a triple staircase, in stone, with brackets not visible in the main section. With a wrought iron balustrade , embellished with a snail design and mahogany handrail, it rises from the garden floor to the third floor.
The Kent staircase is the first architectural element visitors see when they enter Number 10. Black and white engravings and photographs of all former prime ministers decorate the wall, these are always slightly rearranged, to make room for a new photograph., of the most recent former Prime Minister.
He saw the two photographs of Winston Churchill hanging on the wall and thought about making the famous "V" for victory, because he couldn't make any sign with his hands, symbolizing the shameful defeat he had just suffered.
Hughes took a deep breath and stood in front of the black oak door with No. 10 engraved on the outside, and he thought the same thing as his predecessor, William Pitt...
My big uncomfortable house...
HE OPENED THE FAMOUS black oak door and the number 10 shimmered shyly in front of him. The small six— panel door, made of black oak , is surrounded by a cream — colored frame and above it is adorned with an attractive semi — circular flag window. Painted in white, in the center of the door, between the upper and middle part of the panels, is the famous number — 10— , between the two middle panels is a black iron knocker , in the shape of a lion's head, and then Below the knocker is a bronze plaque with the inscription:
"First Treasure Lord"
A black iron guardrail with spikes is positioned along the front of the house and on either side of the door step. The grille rises above the pavement level in a double arch, supporting an iron gas lamp surmounted by a crown.
After the IRA mortar attack , the original black oak door was replaced by a new explosive— proof steel door. Regularly removed for refurbishment and replaced with a replica, it is so heavy that it takes eight men to lift it. The brass mailbox still bears the legend:
"First Lord of the Treasury"
The original door is now on display in the War Cabinet Rooms of the Churchill Museum .
HUGHES LEFT HIS official HOME, one of the most famous residences in the world, with a rather flippant nickname — The Back House— and there was a swarm of journalists in front.
Here was the official residence and office of the British Prime Minister, as the seat of Her Majesty's government . It is located on Downing Street in Westminster , London . In reality, it is the official residence of the First Lord of the Treasury , but in modern times, this post has been held concurrently with the post of Prime Minister.
George II , offered the "back house" and the two Downing Street houses to Sir Robert Walpole , to serve as the official residence of the First Lord of the Treasury. Number 10, as it is often known, is perhaps the most famous address in London and one of the most recognized houses in the world, it is not only the home of the prime minister, but also a place of work. It has offices, secretaries, assistants and advisors, in addition to numerous conference and dining rooms, where the Prime Minister meets and entertains other foreign leaders and dignitaries. The building is situated close to the Palace of Westminster , the House of Parliament , and Buckingham Palace, the Queen 's residence.
The building was originally three houses: the "back house", Number 10 itself, and a small house next door, the back house, was a mansion built around 1530 overlooking St. James's Park, the original Number 10, was a simpler town house built in 1685, and the third was a more modest house situated next to Number 10.
In 1732, King George II offered 10 Downing Street and the back house to Robert Walpole , in gratitude for his services to the nation. Walpole accepted only on the condition that it would be a gift to the post of First Lord of the Treasury and not solely to himself. The king agreed and "ownership" has since passed to each future First Lord. Between 1732 and 1735, Walpole commissioned William Kent to unite the houses.
As a symbol of the British government, Number 10 has become a meeting place for protesters. Emmeline Pankhurst and other suffragette leaders stormed Downing Street in 1908, anti-Vietnam War protesters marched there in the 1960s , as did opponents of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars in the 2000s . Number 10 has become a mandatory stop on any tourist visit to London. Ordinary people, not only Brits but foreign tourists as well, posed smiling in front of the famous door.
HUGHES WENT TO the House of Commons and held a press conference:
— I want to thank everyone for being here, I want to humbly sympathize with the families of all our men who died in cowardice in this morning's terrorist attack and say that we will not go through this silently, we will find those responsible and bring justice.
— Prime Minister, do you believe that this attack was the work of Paul Leaks?
— It's still too early for us to take any action or draw any conclusions against Leaks, I just want to say that we've committed our best men to this case.
— Is it true that you talked to him last night?
— Yes, I asked him to kindly turn himself in in a friendly way, as the Colombian government had already granted the authorization to arrest him after the party, basically today's mission was a mere formality.
— How do you feel about Major Midleton?
— An irreparable loss, my children and I are inconsolable.
Journalists still wanted to ask dozens of questions, but Noah Hughes waved at people and walked out the side door.
— Mr. Prime Minister — his secretary Ian Clark said — Ben Morant on the line.
— I hope you at least have good news.
But all no one had in those days was good news.