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This choice is insufficient. The Government and the country need a leader who has maturity, who has a sense of discretion, who has a proven capacity for working with all his colleagues in the Parliamentary Party.
There is at least one senior figure in the Party who not only enjoys all of these attributes, but who in recent weeks has been almost unique in remembering the need to uphold the dignity of Government and who, so rare in present day politics, has shown himself capable of putting aside his own personal ambition for what he perceives as being the wider interests of his Party.
He has announced that it is not his intention to seek election as Leader of the Party, but he still has time to reconsider before nominations close on Thursday. We believe it would be in the best interests of all concerned if the Chief Whip, Francis Urquhart, were to stand and to be elected.
There were forty press, television and radio men waiting outside Urquhart's home in Cambridge Street when he emerged at 8.10 that morning. He had been waiting rather nervously inside, wanting to ensure that the timing of his exit enabled BBC radio's Today programme and all breakfast television channels to take it live. Attracted by the scramble of newsmen, a host of passers-by and commuters from nearby Victoria Station had gathered to discover the cause for the commotion, and the live television pictures suggested a crowd showing considerable interest in the man who now emerged onto the doorstep, looking down on the throng.
The shouted questions from the journalists were identical, and he waved a hand to quieten them so that his answer could be heard. The hand also contained a copy of that morning's Telegraph, and for a moment it looked as if he were giving a victory salute which only encouraged the scramble still further, but eventually he managed to bring a degree of calm to the proceedings.
'Ladies and Gentlemen, as Chief Whip I would like to think you had gathered here because of your interest in the details of the Government's forthcoming legislative programme, but I suspect you have other things on your mind.'
The gentle quip brought a chuckle from the journalists and put Urquhart firmly in control.
'I have read with considerable surprise and obvious interest this morning's edition of the Telegraph.' He held it up again so that the cameras could get a clear shot. 'I am honoured that such a significant and authoritative newspaper should hold a high opinion of my personal capabilities —one which goes far beyond my own judgement of the matter. As you know, I had made it clear that I had no intention of standing, that I thought it was in the Party's best interest that the Chief Whip should stand above this particular contest.'
He cleared his throat. 'Generally that is still my view.
However, the Telegraph raises some important points which should be considered carefully. You will forgive me if I don't come to an instant or snap judgement out here on the pavement. I want to spend a little time consulting with a few colleagues to obtain their opinions, and also to have a long and serious discussion with my wife, whose views will be most important of all. I shall then sleep upon it, and let you all know tomorrow what decision I have reached. In the meantime, I hope you will allow me and my family a few hours of peace to think about things. I shall have nothing more to say until tomorrow.'
With one final wave of his hand, still clutching the newspaper and held for many seconds to satisfy the screaming photographers, Urquhart withdrew into his house and shut the door firmly.
By Monday evening, Mattie was beginning to wonder
whether she had been too hasty. After storming out of
Preston's office she had persuaded herself that she had
resolved all her personal and professional problems in one
grand gesture - no more Krajewski, certainly no more
Preston, just the story to concentrate on. Yet now she was
not so sure. She had spent a lonely weekend identifying the
newspapers for which she would like to work, but as she did so she quickly realised that none of them had any obvious gaps in their political reporting teams which she could hope to fill. The newspaper world is highly competitive, and although she could offer youthful energy and talent in abundance, she had just thrown away the track record of experience on which most editors hire their
staff.
She had made many telephone calls but they had led to few appointments; she began to discover that somebody was spreading a story that she had stormed out in tears when Preston had questioned her judgement, and sensitive feminine outbursts do not generally commend themselves to the heavily male-dominated club of newspaper editors.
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