As Todd gets in the saloon, Marilyn turns to me and mouths, ‘I’ll call you.’ They drive off, and I’m left alone on a desolate patch of grass. The pasty teenagers are drifting back. Taking out my phone here might attract the wrong kind of attention. I walk briskly away and when I reach the river by London Bridge, I dial.

‘Treasury press office,’ says the harassed-sounding junior official.

‘It’s Gil Peck here, from the FC.’ Traffic roars over the bridge, while a rusted barge rumbles underneath. ‘With the election on, I’m trying to work out the best way of setting up an interview with the Chancellor. Who would I discuss that with?’

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Thursday, 17 April – 14 days until Election Day

FOR TEN DAYS, I TRY to do the day job. There’s a general election on, and elections are supposed to be the highlights of a political editor’s career. In normal times it would be the centre of my life. But right now it’s displacement activity. I go to the party press conferences, I write assessments of the statements and pledges that matter. I even go to the Lib Dems one morning, which shows that I really am trying hard to look committed and serious. They are polling a bit higher than when the campaign started, and a serious Lib Dem surge at Labour’s expense is one of the few pathways to an outcome that would leave the Tories with the largest number of seats. Even in my confused state, I am not betting on it.