Articles and Speeches

Inside No 10
15-Jul-05, Windsor Express Column.

"As a child I’d sometimes get on the bus and travel to Downing Street to see if I could spot the Prime Minister.

In those days you were able to simply wander up to the door and chat to a solitary policeman without hindrance. It was a thrilling experience, but I was never invited in for tea. I yearned to be allowed in to have a look around.

So I was delighted to be able to invite 3 children - from Windsor constituency schools - to join me on a visit to No 10 on Tuesday this week.

In order to be fair in the selection, my assistant wrote the names of all the local schools on slips of paper. She placed them in a bag, and we then selected three blindly and at random.

The lucky winning schools were Churchmead, Windsor Girls and Dedworth Middle school. We then contacted the schools and asked them to nominate a pupil who had an interest in politics.

I met Jamie, Sophie and Marcus at the House of Commons and we had tea on the terrace before walking across Parliament Square, along Whitehall and into Downing Street.

Marcus knocked on the door and we were then greeted by Cherie Blair in the main dining room where we shared refreshments and savoured the historic moment.

The highlight of the day was an impromptu meeting with Tony Blair in the Cabinet room accompanied by his young son Leo.

It was a wonderful afternoon, and I am not sure whether it was the children or myself who enjoyed the experience the most.

One thing is for sure. It is a day that none of us will ever forget."

Adam Afriyie, MP for Windsor