A Storm Was Brewing....A British Political History

[Lockmark]

10am, 7th February 1991, London


A van pulls up and parks on the junction between Horse Guards Avenue and Whitehall, just 200 yards from 10 Downing Street, the home of the Prime Minister. A man gets out, and leaves the scene on a motorcycle waiting for him.


*****


10 Downing Street, 10:08am


Meanwhile, John Major, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, is meeting with members of his War Cabinet. Among those in attendance are Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd, Defence Secretary Tom King, Chancellor of the Exchequer Norman Lamont, and the head of the Armed Forces, David Craig. Two months into his role, Mr Major is currently enjoying a honeymoon period, with the advent of Operation Desert Storm helping to boost his popularity.


It is that same operation that he is speaking with his fellow ministers about today. Later today, ground troops will cross the Saudi border and enter Kuwait, beginning the ground war. But all his War Cabinet know that already: this meeting is a mere formality. Updates on strategy, advice on the statement he’ll have to give to the nation later on, nothing out of the ordinary. But unbeknown to him, danger isn’t too far away.


As Mr Major sets out to begin the agenda for the meeting, he hears a crackle and a smash behind him. It is the last thing he will ever hear.


*****


BBC Television Centre, 10:12am


Meanwhile, at BBC Television Centre, it is a fairly quiet day. Newsreader Martyn Lewis has arrived for his shift, and he’ll go on air in three hours for the One O’Clock News. But in the background, he hears whispers and is called into action by a producer:

“Martyn, you’re needed in Studio N1. Something’s exploded at Number 10.”

Not knowing much else, Lewis scurries down to N1, typically used for daytime bulletins on BBC One, where a hastily written script has been prepared for him. “This is the moment which makes a newsreader’s career,” he tells himself. “Do not mess it up.”


Lewis is then counted in, to provide a news report which will define an entire decade.


*****


BBC One, 10:24am




Continuity: And that was Playdays, here as part of BBC One’s schools coverage. In a break from scheduled programming, we’re going to take you straight to BBC News, for a special news report, from Martyn Lewis.


Lewis: This is BBC News, London. A suspected explosion has struck 10 Downing Street this morning, as John Major and his War Cabinet were meeting, to discuss Operation Desert Storm. The number of casualties are not known at this time, but it is believed that all members of the War Cabinet were present. No official statement has yet been provided by government representatives.​

 

[Lockmark]

Palace of Westminster, 10:30am


Home Secretary, Kenneth Baker, is just walking out of the Houses of Parliament, with Chief Secretary to the Treasury, David Mellor, alongside him, after attending Oral Questions earlier that morning. He receives an urgent phone call, urging him to travel to Smith Square immediately. He immediately sets off in a car with Mellor, hearing of the Downing Street explosion over the radio.


*****


BBC News, 10:40am


Lewis: We have received word that there are potential fatalities at 10 Downing Street, following the mortar attack earlier this morning. Several casualties, including the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary, have been taken to St. Thomas’ Hospital, where it is believed that they are in critical condition. Our political correspondent, John Cole, is outside St. Thomas’ this morning. John, what more can you tell us?

Cole: Well, Martyn, the prognosis here is that no one’s really sure what’s going on. About five minutes ago, the first ambulances from Downing Street started arriving, although no one’s really sure who’s in them, and we’ve heard no official comment from the government on potential injuries just yet-


Lewis: I’m sorry, John, I’ll have to interrupt you there. The news from Scotland Yard is that Sir Peter Imbert, the Chief Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, is about to speak now, on the events of this morning. We’ll take you over there in just a second.




*****


Scotland Yard, 10:45am


Imbert: At 10:08am this morning, three explosions were heard on the junction of Whitehall and Horse Guards Avenue. All three of these explosions reached the grounds of 10 Downing Street, with two landing in its back garden. However, the third explosion was a direct hit on the building itself, causing a minor collapse in a room where the Prime Minister and colleagues were meeting. Emergency services arrived on the scene at around 10:13am, where two people were announced dead at the scene, seven were taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries and four were treated at the scene with non-life-threatening injuries. Since then, another person has died, and another is in what could be considered a critical but stable condition. We will consider to issue updates on today’s events as we receive them.


*****


Smith Square, 10:50am


Baker and Mellor arrive at Tory HQ and are greeted by Party Chairman, Chris Patten, who has a solemn look on his face. Baker asks him how bad it is.


Patten’s response is short but frank. “Douglas is dead.”


Mellor asks about the Prime Minister: “Your guess is as good as mine. All I can say is that it doesn’t look good at all. You’re going to have to speak to the families, Kenneth. With Norman, Douglas and John out of the equation, you’re the most senior cabinet member present.”


Baker sighs, and begins preparing a statement of sorts.​

 

[Lockmark]

BBC News, 11:05am


Lewis: We have just received a statement from St. Thomas’ Hospital, saying that the first confirmed fatality of the Downing Street explosion is the Press Secretary to the Prime Minister, Gus O’Donnell. 38-year old O’Donnell was a well-known confidant of the Prime Minister, having served as his press secretary while Chancellor of the Exchequer. It is believed that the Home Secretary, as the most senior cabinet member not involved in the event, will be delivering a statement in ten minutes’ time.


*****


Scotland Yard, 11:10am


A 999 responder receives a very intriguing call.


Responder: 999, what’s your emergency?
Caller: We did this. We warned you. Until our people are free, there will be no rest for yours. We have struck at the heart of your government, and we will continue to do so, until you set us free.


Responder: Can I take a name please?


The line goes dead.


*****


Smith Square, 11:15am


Kenneth Baker is stood with Chris Patten, looking incredibly solemn indeed.


“I’m not ready for this, Chris.” “None of us are, Kenneth. But we can’t say nothing.”


Baker gulps, and walks into the Conservative press room, where a horde of cameras and journalists face him. He clears his throat, and delivers a pre-prepared statement.


Baker: As you no doubt know by now, terror has struck this shores again. This time, it fell right where democracy lives, at 10 Downing Street. It is my unfortunate duty to inform that two of my colleagues have been confirmed to have died thus far. Gus O’Donnell, the Prime Minister’s press secretary, was pronounced dead at the scene of the attack. My close friend, Douglas Hurd, the Foreign Secretary, was taken to St. Thomas’ Hospital, where he was pronounced dead twenty-five minutes ago. Those who committed these attacks intend to deter us from going on with our lives, they strike at the very heart of our way of life, but let it be known that we know who you are, and we will do whatever we can, within our power, to stop you. Thank you.


*****


BBC News, 11:18am


Martyn Lewis struggles to hold back his emotions as the camera cuts back.


Lewis: The Home Secretary, Kenneth Baker, there, confirming that the Foreign Secretary and the Downing Street Press Secretary were killed in today’s events, bringing the number of fatalities in the attack to two.


*****​

 

[Lockmark]

St. Thomas’ Hospital, Emergency Ward, 11:20am

A swarm of doctors and nurses are huddled around a row of beds, silent. Behind them are a couple of gentlemen wearing suits, looking rather formal. One of them speaks:

“Are you going to tell them, or should I?”

One doctor goes over to the men, and whispers something in their ear, which prompts a frantic phonecall elsewhere.

*****

BBC News, 11:24am

Lewis: -in his statement, President Bush expressed sympathy with Britain for today's events, saying that “no form of terror will ever be tolerated by the people of the United States”, adding that he knows that the Prime Minister is a strong man and will pull through undeterred, ready to take on the challenges ahead of him. Now, I believe we have an update following this morning’s attack, the first official comment from the Prime Minister’s spokesperson. It reads: “The Prime Minister and several colleagues were caught up in today’s events. Three of them have since passed away in hospital, including Douglas Hurd, and the Prime Minister himself is in a stable, but critical condition, and is waiting to undergo surgery.”

*****

Elsewhere in Television Centre, 11:24am

“You know full well that I can’t just put that out there. Not after the statement we’ve just read.”

“Jonathan, we have to tell them at some point. We would wait for an official statement-“

“Then wait. Wait for the facts.”

*****

Smith Square, 11:30am

Baker, Patten and Mellor are now huddled around a television set, waiting for the latest updates.

“Do you think John will pull through, Chris?”

“I’ve seen more unlikely things happen. We’re just getting started, Kenneth?”

“We’ll have to come down hard on whoever’s done this-“

“Now is now the time for that. We cannot lose our heads in the heat of the moment.”

A phone call comes through. Patten answers it, hums and sighs for a number of minutes and then turns to white, the words at the end of the phone ringing in his head.

“They took a few in for surgery, but it was too late. None of them have survived.”
​

 

[Lockmark]

Apologies for going a bit dead last few months, but I'm glad to say I'll be continuing TTL with immediate effect. Expect an update in the next few days.

 

[Lockmark]

Buckingham Palace

11:56am

Inside the Press Office in Buckingham Palace, Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth the Second, is being prepared for a live statement, to be read out on national television at 12pm. The Press Secretary to the Sovereign, Charles Anson, is running her through procedure:

“Are you sure you don’t want this released as a statement, and to speak at a later date-“

“Unfortunately, Charles, the Prime Minister has just been announced dead. I can’t speak at a later date, I’m the closest thing to a government representative you’ll have at this time. Have you spoken with the government to confirm that they are fine with the statement’s contents?”

“Of course, Your Majesty. They said they’d be happy for you to deliver it. Apparently Baker didn’t feel it proper to comment so early on.”

“In that case, I will have to bring the nation together for now.”

The cameras lit up, as the Queen prepared to deliver her statement.

*****

Sinn Fein HQ, Falls Road, Belfast

11:58am

Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness are sat around tentatively, with a television on in the background, with RTE on in the background. After a baited breath, Adams speaks:

“Martin, were you aware that this was happening?”

“Gerry, I’ll be honest, I wasn’t. You normally hear rumblings of this sort of thing through the grapevine, but the first I heard of this was when that mortar went off.”

Adams looked at his old comrade with suspicion. He’d stayed out of Provisional IRA matters informally since the Enniskillen massacre in 1987, and had done his best to stay clear of direct contact in this time, but McGuinness was seen to have more sway than he. And did he say mortar, Adams thought? The bomb used hadn’t yet been announced, and Gerry Adams was sceptical of his fellow party leader’s intentions. After a brief silence, he spoke again.

“It’s all the markings of us. I’m telling you now, that peace agreement we’ve been pushing Hume for, he won’t speak to us now. Sinn Fein are finished, Martin. They’ll come after everyone involved with the IRA, past or present, to find out who did this. Life for nationalists in Northern Ireland is about to get very hard-“

“Calm down, Gerry, it’s bad enough without you bringing doom and gloom-“

“It was bad enough before we killed the man we’ve been trying to talk to for the last three years! We’ve f****d ourselves completely-“

At this point, the phone rang. Both Adams and McGuinness were wary to answer it, but eventually a staffer answered. After a delayed response, the staffer rose up and looked at the pair.

“It’s for you, Mr Adams.”

Gerry Adams got up and walked up to the phone, somewhat hesitantly. The voice of a Middle Eastern man piped up at the other end:

“You’ll be wanting to talk about the arrangement we made in 1984, Mr Adams.”

Gerry Adams collapsed back into his chair.​

 

[Lockmark]

Sinn Fein HQ, Falls Road, Belfast

12:30pm, 12th September 1984

Gerry Adams sits back in his chair. Recently elected to serve the Irish republican party, Sinn Fein, as leader, he seems to be on cloud nine. Seven months have passed since the last significant attack by the Provisional IRA, and the British government’s efforts to stifle them had appeared to be in vain. A phone call comes through, informing Adams that Alex Maskey, one of his advisors, was here to see him, and he had brought a guest.

Maskey walked through, with a Middle Eastern man, brandishing a briefcase. Adams greets them both:

“Hello there, lads, what can I do for you?”

“Well, this man is Moussa Koussa, a friend of Muammar Gaddafi’s, who I’m sure you’re more than acquainted with. He’s here to discuss a few things with you, which I think you’ll want to hear.”

Koussa sits down and dusts him off, before speaking with Adams:

“The bombing campaign, how is it?”

“Well, by all accounts, I keep my distance these days, a little difficult with all eyes on me as Sinn Fein leader.”

“I hear you have a plan to deal with the Prime Minister, Thatcher.”

Adams froze, as he didn’t think anyone was privy to the information regarding next month’s Conservative conference barring Patrick Magee and senior Sinn Fein members. Koussa smirked and continued.

“Mr Maskey told me, you have no reason to be worried. In fact, it’s in that vein I wanted to speak with you. The Colonel feels our arrangement isn’t working so well. We have provided you with arms that you have failed to use barring guerrilla tactics against small groups of Protestants-“

“An armed campaign takes a lot of effort, Mr Koussa.”

“Indeed it does, but we aren’t willing to wait. Your men seem undertrained, and behind schedule. If you are going to be successful. You will need more help.”

“Who’s going to help us? The American money has ran dry under Reagan, the rest of the Middle East thinks us a pariah, and Africa is busy fighting its own conflicts. Who do you suggest?”

“Saddam.”

Adams jumped back in shock at the mention of Hussein’s name. Tensions between Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi had been well-known since Gaddafi’s endorsement of Iran in the recent Iran-Iraq War, and the Sinn Fein leader did not expect such cooperation.

“Relax, relax. Mr Hussein understands Gaddafi’s stance is not one of malice. We have been doing some work together intelligence-wise of late, building bridges.”

“And?”

“Iraqi officials noted our deal with you with arms transportation. They offered another deal to present to you. Your men will be given trips to neutral locations across the Middle East, paid for by the Iraqi government, where military advisors and personnel will train them properly for a guerrilla-style campaign. Your men can barely put together a mortar, let alone position one correctly.”

Adams was lost for words. Could he trust Koussa? Furthermore, could he trust Iraq? Before he could speak, Koussa delivered a parting shot:

“We give you a month or two, take your time, to make up your mind. But know that things cannot stay the same if you want to succeed. Your men are failing and falling behind. Farewell for now, Gerry."

Koussa got up, and walked out, as Adams pondered his next move.​