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Of course, he already knows what the place looks like, having occupied the house’s second floor flat since Labour came to power in 1997, when Tony and Cherie Blair – with their then three children – decided to move into the more spacious accommodation at number 11.
Yet for Gordon Brown, with his wife Sarah and two young children, it must feel like the ultimate validation – the top job and all the trappings that go along with it.
And what a fantastic array of trappings they are. Who else can say that their home includes a 65-seat ‘state’ dining room as well as a smaller one for up to a mere 12 guests?
And if ever he finds himself with over-run by gatecrashers, visitors can be directed to a number of reception rooms – the White, Terracotta, and Pillared rooms.
For the man who has been playing second fiddle to Tony Blair for so many years, it must seem like all his Christmases have come at once.
As master of all he surveys, will the man whose watchword as Chancellor was ‘prudence’, do an about-turn and imitate some of the megalomaniac tendencies of some of his predecessors? Perhaps he could follow the Iron Lady’s lead – she had an imprint of a straw-carrying ‘thatcher’ engraved on to one of the ceilings when she had the formal rooms refurbished in the 1980s.
Grandeur
But for all the grandeur and finery of 10 Downing Street, what must it really be like living ‘above the shop’? As the focal point for weekly cabinet meetings, a location for state occasions, a workplace for staff, and a house with constant police and security personnel on guard, it must be like a hive swarming with bees.
Living at his workplace with the ultimate pressure of running the country is likely to mean there is going to be little escape from job-related stress for Brown. So perhaps a magnificent and unique house is a the just reward for the prime minister. You suspect, though, that for the 56-year-old, the job itself – so long in coming – is the reward in itself.
And what now for Tony Blair? Having stepped down as both prime minister and an MP he no longer has the official stamp of authority.
But it’s doubtful whether anyone’s going to feel too sorry for him. The Blairs have capitalised on several properties in the 27 years since they first bought a home in south London – but the latest edition, still being renovated, is in a different league.
The first part of their new home in upmarket Connaught Square was bought for £3.65m in 2004, and earlier this year they purchased the adjoining mews house for £800,000 – a hefty price tag to bear.
If, as speculators suggest, the Blairs have taken out a 25-year, interest-only loan at 5 per cent on the £4.45m total price, their mortgage will be £18,542 a month. At more than many people earn in a year, the figure is roughly half the reported fee that Cherie can command for one speaking engagement.
Of course, Tony, no longer bound by regulations regarding politician’s interests, will be able to charge a huge amount for speaking engagements and consultancy work. Having just left full-time employment, he won’t have the worry other 54-year-olds might have, of being left on the scrap-heap or wondering how to manage on a pension.
And, no doubt, if he does get bored of wandering the world as a roving ambassador and peacemaker, writing his memoirs is sure to hit the jackpot.
What do you think? Have your say.
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