Chapter 9: Going public
Julia spend 3 weeks at the reeducation center and just before Christmas, she decides to beef up her campaign as she feels more confident and she doesn't look physically diminished compared to our competitors anymore. She feels strong emotionally & psychologically. She asks her team to organize an interview with Andrew Marr.
There are more & more rumors about Julia being in a relationship with a mystery man. Julia & David decide together that it's time for them to go public with their relationship and Julia suggests to use the Andrew Marr interview to do so. David agrees and he suggest they have dinner at a restaurant afterwards.
The legal injunctions protecting Ella, Charlie & Vicky are ready to be published and Julia & David feel stronger than ever together, ready to face the shit storm from the media. Julia is in the waiting room of the BBC Studio with David & her PPO and there is no "coffee incident" this time. Julia feels very confident & simply re-read quickly her notes on her program for the Country. David is a bit nervous but also impatient to let the world know they are in a relationship.
"Hello everyone, today I am very pleased to welcome our former Home Secretary and PM Candidate, Julia Montague"
"Hello Andrew. Please, we know each other for 8 years now, I think you can call me Julia"
Andrew, visibly surprised, nods.
"Julia, if you are elected, what are your plans for the Internal Security? Are you going to follow the footsteps of James Cameron in his time and reduce the national police budget and reduce its staff?"
"No, I won't do that. As I said last time, we are a target. We can't be complacent and we need all the resources available to defend our country from the attackers. I also want the police & the security services to work more & better together, in full transparency and I want better exchange of information between all services. I plan to invest 100 billion pounds in infrastructure and technology and pledges to carry out the most important review of the defense and security policy of the kingdom and its place in the world since the end of the Cold War, a review that will involve the military, counterterrorism services and intelligence services."
"What do you plan for the UK economy? The unemployment rate is stable, but still high"
We need to continue to reduce the UK deficit with limited public spending: reduced taxation, tight monetary policy & free trade positions. We also need to reduce administrative costs, I will push a further 10% cut in ministers' salaries and reduce tax for foreign companies which want to invest in the UK.
"What is your position towards immigration?"
"I am in favor of the current policy of limiting immigration and continue to bring the migratory balance to the level of tens of thousands of people per year. There will not be new measures. The abolition of free medical aid for illegal immigrants, restrictions on the social rights, a form of national preference for social housing, as well as the tightening of the fight against "health tourism" and illegal immigration have been proven to be successful"
"What do you plan for our NHS?"
This is clearly one of my key priority. The NHS is committed to perpetuate funding by law, which will result in an increase in its budget of the order of 33.9 billion pounds per year by 2023-24. The public health service, dear to the hearts of the British, has had a series of deficits for several years.
"There is also a big challenge ahead on the Green. What do you plan to do there?"
"EDF has built two new generation nuclear power plants. We have a carbon plan aimed at reducing CO2 emissions by 80% by 2050. We will need to implement further measures like increase congestion charge for cars older than 10 years. We also need to continue to raise the awareness of the people about the ecology but also pushing them to continue to do small gestures as the addition of small efforts represents a massive improvement for our planet".
"Now, I would like to move to more personal question, to allow the public to get to know who Julia is outside work. What do you like to do during your free time?"
"Well, I don't have a lot of free time but I really enjoy reading a good book with a glass of white wine, I practice horse riding since I am 6 years old and I enjoy open-water swimming. I am also a big football fan"
"Are you? And which team are you supporting?"
"Well, The Three Lions of course! But I am also a massive Chelsea FC fan. It seems my life is full of blue actually"
"Julia, if you are elected as the new UK new Prime Minister, will there be someone moving with you in 10 Downing Street?"
"Yes, my partner will move in with me"
"That's fresh news. It seems that the rumors are not always false then". Julia laughs.
'And who is he?"
"My partner is David Budd, the man who saved my life several times and who managed to have Luke Aitkens, Lorraine Craddock & Nadia Ali convicted and their networks dismantled. He also prevented the 1st October Rail Attack"
"If I remember well, David Budd is married with 2 kids?"
"David has been separated from his wife for 2 years when we started our relationship and their divorce is getting finalized as we speak. I have a very good relationship with his future ex-wife and his kids have welcomed me into their life with open arms"
"Do you plan to get married again, to satisfy the expectations of your most conservative electors, when his divorce will be finalized?"
"We have not discussed this, this is not a priority in our lives at the moment. More than 10% of the people in the UK live together without being married. But we are not ruling out the possibility. It is still early days in our relationship even if things are moving fast, partly due to the traumatic events we have faced together, over the last 3 months".
"And would you change your name, in case you get married?"
"I would be very proud to add my husband's name juxtaposed to mine"
"And if you are elected, do you plan to follow the footsteps of Jacinda Ardern and have a baby whilst being the Prime Minister?".
"I don't know, I can't predict the future. David & I are currently enjoying our time together & time with his kids"
"But, you are obviously not ruling this possibility out neither, as you did not answer a straightforward NO to my question". There is a small pause again. Julia decides to go with the honest answer, as she promised herself to snatch the key to N°10 without political games, lies, hiding secrets or with blackmail, she wants to win a fair fight and be honest with people.
"Indeed, David & I are not ruling out this possibility. But this is a really private matter & decision. I will only add that, if this happens, as it was the case for Jacinda, I am convinced that motherhood & being the Prime Minister can co-exist in a refreshing way. From what I have seen with my friends & my PM colleagues over the years, it's a matter of being well organized & committed to both roles"
"David is Scottish I think"
"Indeed"
"Is he in favor of Scotland Independence?"
"Honestly, I really don't know. We have never discussed this topic together"
"And is he going to vote for you?"
"David has always voted for the Labor party. We haven't discussed this, but I honestly don't think he is going to vote for me, which is absolutely fine. I totally respect his choices and he respects mines. I also know he is supporting me in my bid for the highest position in this country and he shows me his support every day"
"If you are elected, will he stop working as a lot of PM partners have done in the past?"
"David is currently under-going the Detective Inspector Training and I don't see why he would have to stop doing a job he's enjoying and very good at. There might be some additional security measures to put in place for him and his kids, if I am elected, but not more than that"
"David is an army veteran, if I am not wrong"
"He is indeed, he has spent 10 years in the army after being honorably discharged. He has served both in Iraq & Afghanistan"
"Does his experience from the war and potentially his position towards sending more troops in the Middle-East has an impact on your position on that matter"
Julia is thinking deeply, her mind in over-drive. Then again, she decided to go for honesty.
"David has witnessed the war first-hand and has to live with some consequences for the rest of his life, so, yes, I do think my position towards sending additional troops in the Middle-East has evolved. I strongly believe that we still need to continue to fight the enemies of democracy wherever they are: in the UK or in the Iraq or Afghanistan. I think we also need to continue to support the populations in these countries with more tailor-made and focused attacks, engaging less soldiers. We also can benefit from the latest technologies (e.g. drones & 5G) to be successful with less casualties"
"Julia, if you are elected, you will be the youngest Prime Minister ever elected as you are 41 and James Cameron was 43 when he was elected". Julia nods.
"Do you think your young age could be a barrier for some electors?"
"Maybe, but if it is the case, I would like to remind them that despite my age, I have lots of years of experience with strong results as MP & Home Secretary. Passion for the Country. Hard Work. Focus. Actions. Dedication. Age is not part of the pre-requisite for the job"
"You would also be the 2nd woman ever elected in that position after Margaret Thatcher"
"We have more and more women into politics which is great. However, today if we look at the international ranking, the UK are 39th with 32% of women in the Chamber. France is 17th with 40% of women in the Chamber & Sweden is 5th with 47%. The 1st country in that ranking being Rwanda with 61%. If I am elected, my government will respect the parity and I strongly encourage women to enter into politics"
"Talking about your government, if you are elected, do you plan to keep Mike Travis as Home Secretary?"
"I did not have a chance to discuss this with him, but Mike is doing a very good job in that role and he is a dedicated public servant"
"And would you keep your ex-husband, Roger Penhaligon, as the Chief Whip?"
"Roger Penhaligon resigned from this position weeks ago and I did not have a chance to meet the new appointed Chief Whip in person. I will not comment further on that"
"Coming back to Margaret Thatcher. Some people compare you a lot to her"
"I must admit I am flattered and I hope to have the same longevity in that position. However, I am not always aligned with her political ideas neither with some of our methods"
"You are often nicknamed as "Ice Queen", what do you think about it?"
"It doesn't bother me. In life, in politics, at work, you can't please everybody and you can't force people to like you. I am headstrong, very demanding towards myself & towards my staff, I can't bear incompetence and I can be brutal sometimes, I acknowledge that. I am also passionate about this country and about the people. I want to make a difference in the life of the people and I think my constituents see that I am making the right decisions as they have re-elected me over the years. Thinking about it, I am more a volcano than an iceberg so "Fiery Queen" would be more appropriate". They both laugh.
"Why do you think you are ready for being PM?"
"There is no school and no diploma to show a candidate is ready to become the next PM and I am not a Hogwarts graduated neither". Andrew laughs.
"I have never thought you would be a Harry Potter fan" he exclaimed
"I am but coming back to your question: I have been Home Secretary for 6 successful years and I have been MP for 10 years. Based on my assessment of these 10 years in politics, I am confident to say I have succeeded to reach my objectives and I want to continue to help more people by leading the Country. I have also got the confidence of my party and of thousands of people who voted for me during the last general election. I am undaunted in my determination to lead our beautiful country with the best of my capacities and be fully committed to the role, as I have always been in all my previous roles"
« Finally, if you are not elected, what will you do since you have resigned from your position as Home Secretary? »
"I will find another way to serve my country & my constituents. I went into politics to help people, that goal will never change and as Winston Churchill said: « Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts »"
"Thank you very much Julia and good luck!"
"Thank you very much Andrew"
David is waiting for her behind the scenes, he congratulates her warmly, kisses her softly and hugs her proudly. This doesn't get unnoticed by the cameras which are still running but they don't care and they leave the studio hand in hand, facing all the paparazzi waiting outside. David is where he is supposed to be: right beside Julia.