Drinks with the PM, dinner with the Attorney General and a concert with Princess Michael of Kent – I recently enjoyed a week to remember.
Amidst the build up to Christmas, and within the space of five days, I met some of the country’s key movers and shakers.
Visiting number 10 was definitely an experience I will never forget. After passing through security at barriers near number 10, the police officer then just said ‘Off you go then’. So there I was walking by myself along Downing Street at night – I didn’t see another soul until I got to the iconic front door at number 10.
It was hard not to think about all the other people who have walked down the same street.
The policeman on duty at the front door kindly took my photo and then I said ‘what happens now?’. He just said ‘you’d better knock’. So I had to actually knock on the door of number 10 and wait for it to open. It felt a bit surreal.
The meeting at number 10 included editors from the biggest regional and local publications in the country, such as the Liverpool Echo, the Lancashire Evening Post, the Birmingham Mail and, closer to home, the Watford Observer.
The PM seemed very relaxed and chatty and personable. Obviously with the Leveson inquiry making headlines, local editors were interested in talking about issues such as press freedom.
My visit to number 10 came at the end of a busy few days which had included meeting Princess Michael of Kent at the Peace Hospice’s Royal Gala Concert at the Colosseum in Watford and dinner at the Houses of Parliament with Attorney General Dominic Grieve. One of the issues I discussed with him was the horrible case of the eight-week-old girl in Hemel Hempstead who was so brutally assaulted – and the sentence her attackers received.
It was one of those weeks which will always stand out in my mind, it’s what makes the job so interesting.
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