Forget Steve Bannon for a second. The key advisor to US President Donald Trump compares his man to Henry VIII and himself to Thomas Cromwell, who was Henry’s enforcer and strategist until, er, he wasn’t. Former Breitbart boss Bannon has had lots of attention in recent months over his extraordinary influence and interest in starting World War III.
In Britain the power in the land is the dynamic duo Fiona Hill‎ and Nick Timothy, joint chiefs of staff to Theresa May. They’re the subject of my latest column for The Times. It is difficult to overstate how dedicated this industrious and hardheaded pair are to protecting the interests of their boss.
Unfortunately, zeal is tipping over into control-freakery, and I cite examples of how that can go wrong, when the going, currently good, gets rough.
In 1997, Charlie Whelan, then the media fixer for Gordon Brown, favoured the Red Lion pub for his discussions. The venues have moved up market since. After a hard day running ‎Number 10, Hill and Timothy like to repair to one of their favoured haunts, often the Corinthia Hotel in Whitehall, where those seeking insight and influence are recieved over drinks.
As one minister puts it: the country is being run ‎from the bar of the Corinthia Hotel.
You can read The Times piece in full here.
(*) Other Whitehall venues are available and are used.
