To ask if you have even known a member of the government

[Alexiaridesagain]

And what are they like in real life by senior I mean
-Boris
-Priti Patel
-Rishi Sunak
-Dominic Cummings
-gavin Williamson
-Micheal Gove
-etc

@AnEleanor

I met John Prescott when I was a waitress and he was unfailingly polite to everyone and very charismatic. Really held a room.

A friend of mine did some work for him and he was vile. Interesting the difference when there's no audience observing.

Totally agree about Tony Blair - incredibly charismatic without any smarm - quite good looking in real life

Met Tony Benn a couple of times - I loved him

I did also know an East London labour MP. he was quite slow and any initiative came from his wife who was desperate to be part of the trendy stoke newington and islington set but they lived elsewhere and never made it..!!..he was later done for expenses fraud and lost some pension due to the fraud.....

Also met MP Frank Field - strongly dislike him but the feeling is mutual

Also Derick Hatton - made me want to swim in bleach

I knew David Miliband when he was foreign secretary. Thoroughly lovely man, and quite flirty but not in a creepy way. Seemed to really care about issues and much more attractive and statesmenlike in real life.

I live near Corbyn, and it's common to see him out and about at street fayres, local events, chatting to people in the street etc. Before being leader of the Labour Party he would quite often be at DD's school for various events. The kids loved him and would often sing the 'Oh, Jeremy Corbyn' song. Whatever you think of him (and I didn't think much of him as labour leader) he's very involved in his local community and seems like a nice man.

Yes I worked closely with Nadhim Zahawi many years ago when he was a sales rep working for Jeffrey Archer and canvassing to become a local councilor for Westminster!!! When I heard he was claiming expenses for heating his stables I was not at all surprised. When I heard he was put in charge of the vaccination role out I cried - the only time I have cried since the pandemic started. I still feel despair that the most dishonest person I have personally dealt with in my working life is in charge of the most important thing in our history.

I have met quite a few , including current cabinet ministers and they are ( in general) usually more pleasant and down to earth than they come across on TV.
Favourites ( for being nice not necessarily agree with them) are Greg Clarke, Andrea Leadsom, Matt Hancock, Damian Hinds,
Not fond of Alok Sharma, Andy Burnham

I’m not in the least surprised to read this about Nadhim Zaharia. Can’t stand him.

Zahawi

I was surprised no one else has posted about knowing Nadhim.

@SquirtleSquad I think you have won the thread 😂😂

I was introduced to Bernard Jenkin once at a work thing - I didn't ask to be and certainly didn't want to be but couldn't exactly avoid it....anyway, he came across as having absolutely no interest in the event (arts/cultural) except in terms of what it might have cost. Straight in with loud high-handed questions about the money angle. Which didn't make a great impression with me.

I've met Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt. They were both well informed and educated men but Boris had a spontaneity about him and he was very funny. I have also met Jeremy Corbyn, Andy Burnham and Alan Johnson who I liked a lot. All this through where I work.

New name for this one as very outing to anyone who knows me.

And yes.

Jeremy Hunt is a family friend.

I will preface with an about me - the Tories have fucked this big time and over the last number of years I have only ever voted Lib Dem and Labour.

I come from a lower middle class background. My parents both working class backgrounds but did better for themselves.

So to me all politicians have a completely non-realistic life experience and view of the world. I'm sure as most of us would assume.

But Jeremy has never been anything other than kind and generous and an amazing support to our family in some very tough times. Never forgets things like Christmas cards etc. Always finds time if we contact him. Makes sure to keep in touch (we as a family have had a particularly tough couple of years)

Perhaps he likes knowing "real people" I don't know. But I certainly don't feel looked down upon or anything - just feels like he genuinely cares.

A genuinely nice guy in my years of experience. I guess plenty of them are really like that but with such a job comes the flip side of being a "bad guy".

Those of you who met the late Tony Benn have no idea of how jealous I am.

I've met John Major, socially. He's charming, not at all self-important, has beautiful manners, and is remarkably easy going. Similarly, Edwina Currie is intelligent, polite, quick-witted, and extremely caring.

The late Robin Cook was also lovely, great at putting people at ease, a principled, honest, and astute man.

Baroness Jay is another who excels at making people feel comfortable and who genuinely cares. I met her at the same time as I met the late Tessa Jowell who, I felt, was something of a career politician.

I would have adored to have met Tony Banks. Did anyone ever encounter him? Was he the principled, slightly maverick man I always believed him to be?

How dishonest was he when you knew him, CabinetMinisters?

(I think quite a few people are utterly depressed he's been given the role. ☹️)

I still feel despair that the most dishonest person I have personally dealt with in my working life is in charge of the most important thing in our history

Great post @Cabinetministers I am SHOOK

I've met Boris Johnson a few times, when he was mayor of London, in my job. He was quite alright back then, big on cycling, sports etc. Quite friendly and chatty even though I was a fairly junior member of the team. He struck me as clever and quite measured, but putting on a show of buffoonery as a brand exercise. Never imagined he'd turn out as crap a PM as he has.

I've met David Cameron briefly too when he was in the coalition, in the same job. He came over to say hello to the team and thank us for for a project we'd done. Again, seemed very affable and friendly, bought us coffees and cake. Was gobsmacked at the legacy he left behind...

I’m extremely fortunate to have met Tony Benn as a student.
Charismatic, serious, incredibly well-informed, interested, a man of substance.
Whatever your politics, I wish there were more like him these days.

One of my most toe curling experiences was witnessing Alex Salmond who was First Minister of Scotland at the time, enter a room full of extremely successful people mainly from the US who didn’t have a clue who he was.
He proceeded to prance about glad handing everyone, with a Do You Know Who I Am air to him.
He was utterly bemused that no one gave a shit. Cringe.

The evidence is still available so I presume I can say. He was working in sales for a company owned by Jeffrey Archer. He was selling products to a retailer that they did not have the licence to sell. However the more shocking thing was his and Archers handling of it once it was discovered in stores. He then went on to create You Gov which is worth millions and is now in his wifes name but I dont know anything about that period of his life. Unfortunately I think most people believe You Gov is independent and would be shocked to know the ownership - but maybe nothing shocks the public anymore after the corruption this year.

@CabinetMinisters
Well, that's depressing. ☹️

I’ve met and worked with a lot of Ministers through work and the common denominator is that they’re all in it for themselves to a greater or larger extent. Some of them are shockingly out of touch with the general public, and refer to “civilians” as some sort of separate sub-intelligent species. The one exception to that in the last 20 years was Peter Kilfoyle. He had genuine, unerring integrity to work for his constituency, and chose not to compromise that just because he’d got a cushy number as a Defence Minister.

Met Suella Braverman through my work.

Wasn't the slightest bit surprised that she was how she was.

@Cabinetministers

The evidence is still available so I presume I can say. He was working in sales for a company owned by Jeffrey Archer. He was selling products to a retailer that they did not have the licence to sell. However the more shocking thing was his and Archers handling of it once it was discovered in stores. He then went on to create You Gov which is worth millions and is now in his wifes name but I dont know anything about that period of his life. Unfortunately I think most people believe You Gov is independent and would be shocked to know the ownership - but maybe nothing shocks the public anymore after the corruption this year.

I read something the other day about buying something to do with medical company (may not be exact details?) which was then out in his wife's name - when he became vaccine minister.