No. 10: Scandal

[Jamie]

​

Politics are never clean. It's an elaborate game of chess, every move is calculated and one misstep can become your unravelling. Absolutely everyone is out to get you. Even those within your own cabinet. For the last few weeks, there had been a shift in the atmosphere. Something Adams himself had felt. It begun subtly - exchanged glances during cabinet, decisions questioned in private rather than through debate and a growing distaste for his approach over the last few months. Conversations came to abrupt endings when Adams passed through the halls and those who questioned what he stood for only a few weeks earlier, were expressing loyalty.

There had been meetings. Meetings without agendas. Whispers reaching journalists before the Prime Minister. Off the record conversations in the quiet halls of Whitehall. The Deputy Prime Minister accompanied by the First Secretary and Chancellor had all become surprisingly cordial with one another and now it appeared to be a coordinated plot around succession. It was Friday 1st December, it'd just turned 0902 and Adams was comfortably sat reading through paperwork laid on his desk with the ambient noise of rain splashing against the window in his office when his head spun to the door following the sound of three knocks. "Come in" he called out, the door open.

"Prime Minister..." spoke Taylor, the Secretary of State for the Home Department, a loyalist. Taylor stepped into the office and shut the door quietly behind him, a few seconds of silence passed as the Secretary pondered his choice of words. "I've been informed by a friend of mine that the BBC are working on a ... for lack of better word, hit piece on you. They intend to publish it in the coming days."

"A hit piece? About what?" Adams asked, unimpressed.

"Hawthorn Dynamics."

"Fuck..." Adams reacted, slumping back in his chair with an emerging frown, sliding the palm of his hand over his face in visible frustration, "How do they know?" he growled.

"I'm not sure, obviously a leak. From what I've been told, it's comprehensive. Financial links, the bidding itself and..."

"And?"

"Some internal memos. They're not connecting the dots, they have the entire picture" clarified Taylor, shifting uncomfortably.

Adams didn't respond at first, the only noise was an exaggerated sigh. Pushing his chair back with his feet, he rose and stepped over to the window. His eyes flickering over the empty courtyard, covered in drizzle.

"It's someone close, it has to be. We'll start with the Treasury."

"I hate to say it, Prime Minister, but the information is out there. Maybe who isn't the immediate issue but how you intend to respond. Denial won't work. They're after you."

"I did suspect something..-" Adams was cut off, another knock on the door "Yes?" he called. The door opened, his Secretary popped her head in.

"Sir, you should check Twitter"... "Thank you" Adams responded, she left the room and he moved back to his desk to open Twitter.

Taylor stepped forward. "What is it?" His voice lowered.

Silence. There was no response, he simply rotated the monitor to display the Twitter post from the BBC.

"Its started" he muttered.

 

[Jamie]

​

Friday felt like it lasted forever.

The initial tweet from the BBC had been vague, just enough to ignite speculation, just enough to make Adams bleed. By noon, every major outlet had picked it up. "Downing Street silent on allegations", "Unnamed sources reveal high level contracts under scrutiny", "Adams on his way out?" to name a few. Comment sections were blazed with distaste for the Prime Minister with a mixture of false presumptions, some not far from the truth. He'd barely left his office. The rain hadn't yet let up and his study had become a war room. Taylor remained, joined by a few loyalists as they mapped out the chain of events and who had access to what in a desperate attempt to stay ahead of the narrative. The report hadn't even been dropped yet and the pressure was already piling on.

Understandably, the Prime Minister didn't sleep much that night. His hands cupped on his stomach, glaring at the ceiling waiting for time to pass. It was a life time away, until it wasn't. He'd got up for breakfast with the family when he received a call, answering it but without saying a word, he just put it down. "It's public" he grunted, his wife rushing to the TV and switching over to BBC News.

"Good morning. It is just past nine o’clock and we begin with breaking news from Westminster. The Prime Minister is facing growing pressure today after a BBC investigation uncovered serious concerns over a £1.2 billion government contract awarded to a little-known company with ties to figures close to his family and party. The contract, part of a flagship infrastructure programme, was granted to Hawthorn Dynamics, a firm with limited public sector experience. Documents seen by the BBC suggest that procurement rules may have been bypassed or relaxed, raising questions about transparency and potential conflicts of interest.

The investigation has identified connections between senior figures at Hawthorn and personal associates of the Prime Minister’s wife, as well as individuals who have donated to the Conservative Party in recent years. Leaked internal memos and correspondence reveal that concerns were raised within the civil service about Hawthorn’s suitability, but the deal went ahead regardless - reportedly following direct involvement from Number 10. We’ll bring you more details throughout the day, including full political reaction and analysis, here on BBC News and at bbc.co.uk.”

For a few moments, the room sat in silence before been broken by the Prime Minister.

"Well, fuck. I need to go to work" he spoke bluntly and before his wife had a chance to react, he had left.

Saturday became a blur of closed-door meetings as the cabinet scrambled, Adams met with the Foreign Secretary, the Defence Secretary, and even the Attorney General in the span of six hours. Some offered reassurances, some politely evaded. Loyalists to the Prime Minister, led by Taylor, worked to try to mitigate the backlash. The Chancellor, on the other hand, refined his opportunism. Subtle conversations with those loyal, casting doubts in their mind as to Adams suitability. By Saturday night, the Chancellor had gone completely quiet. Not unreachable, but avoiding. That alone said everything.

Sunday wasn't any better. Tabloids wanted a story and what better than a scandal from Number 10? "PM under siege", "Adams on his way out?", "Corrupt Prime Minister fails to address report". This wasn't another day in political, but a fight for survival. Taylor, the Prime Minister and his loyalists had agreed to meet that afternoon but somewhere different. A flat, near Westminster. Not at Number 10. Surrounding a table in the middle of the living room, die-hards sat working through papers, phones buzzing every few minutes and Adams listened, more than he spoke. It was a civil war in no uncertain terms.

"What's the count?" Adams finally asked.

Taylor looked up "If the Chancellor moves against you, the numbers are short."

"..and if he doesn't?"

"It'll drag on. It depends... what else might they have?"

"They want me to jump before they push" he admitted. No one corrected him.

Adams gave Taylor a slight nod towards the door, the pair left to the private confides of the hallway.

"I've got nothing." Adams revealed, his eyes baggy and his tone of voice defeated, he'd hoped for some morale support.

"We're back in the Commons tomorrow and you need answers. The count isn't in your favour and if the Chancellor pushes ... I hate to say it but, sometimes winning means knowing when to step aside".

"You're saying resign" Adams brow furrowed.

"I'm saying," Taylor replied slowly, "If, that's if you did, you'd go out with dignity and not dragged. You could name your successor, decide the narrative and not give them the satisfaction. You said they were waiting for you to jump, but that doesn't mean you'd jump in the direction they want you too."

Adams looked down to the floor, Taylor continued speaking "They want you to go kicking and screaming, they want it to be bloody and destroy your legacy. Make your successor known, and let the Chancellor be replaced along with anyone who supports him."

"It's late, I need some time to think. I'll see you in the House tomorrow" Adams concluded, heading home.