It was even worse in the pre-mobile-phones era. In those days, anyone hoping to get a ministerial offer from No 10 – which meant almost all the Parliamentary Labour Party – felt it essential to stick close to a telephone in case the crucial call might be missed. There was the difficult choice of whether to stay at home, with one hand lightly on the receiver, or hurry to the House of Commons and stick it out there, waiting for that painfully awaited summons.
Of course, if a call does come through, the recipient has to know whether to trust it. When Harold Wilson was Prime Minister, one MP offered junior office by phone thought that the person at the other end was a malicious back-bench colleague imitating Wilson’s voice, and put the phone down on him. Happily, Wilson persisted, and the man believed the offer and accepted the job.
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