State of Play

Stephen?

There's a toothbrush and a shirt here.

Thanks.

L'll leave them outside.

Your shoes are here.

How are you gonna get round the injunction?

We don't know yet.

When you say George Fergus took backhanders, he'll sue you and win.

Yeah, that'd get past an editor (!)

"They're all clean as whistles. L know because they sent my friend Stephen to tell me."

The government knew exactly who Sonia was.

George upwards, from day one.

What do you call that, eh? It's not corruption. Inverted corruption?

They watched her leak anything relevant and watched U-EX take the piss out of me.

L don't understand. How come they didn't just blow it?

Blow it? Why? That would involve a scrap. This was never a scrap.

Just as U-EX were eventually going to concede points to the Treasury, they could run the show.

Stephen, why are you telling me this?

You write it and print it.

If l print that, they'll know it came from you.

- Good. - It'll finish you.

So? Not before l scare the shit out of U-EX. They'll concede points then.

Whoa, whoa, Stephen, Stephen.

- Hang on. You're upset, you need to think. - Not before l bury George Fergus.

Oh, l've thought about it.

Select Committee report.

The minutes of every meeting, every hearing.

L can show you conversations we had that relate to inexplicable changes in strategy by U-EX.

L'll give you an affidavit repeating everything George Fergus told me.

L'll give you everything you need to blow this sky high.

Am l allowed to print this off?

How much paper do you think you'll need?

We're on with Foy. Go with Della, put the squeeze on him.

- We need whatever information... - We're on?

We need a letter, a fax... And we need it tonight.

L've got Stephen Collins ready to put his name to everything we've got... and more.

He can implicate George Fergus upwards.

- A lot more. - How much is he asking?

He's not asking, but he'll need a lawyer acting solely on his behalf.

- How do l ask for that and not send flares up? - L'm still editor.

Yeah, but this story, if she finds out we can back it, will she not try to fuck us over?

Pete, can you use upstairs?

- Would Collins talk to anybody else? - He came to me.

How do you know he's not stitching you up?

They've hurt him. He's gonna talk.

- Exclusively? - Yes.

Can l hear him say that?

- Is this a bad time? - No, we're finished now.

How are you feeling?

Here's something to cheer you up, Dominic.

No?

- Dominic... - Aww!

You implied you've got some kind of protection.

Something to verify what you've told us.

- A letter? Taped call? - No...

No what? There isn't, or never was?

Right? Forget it.

That's... That's mine.

The only way you cover yourself is by letting somebody else see it.

L don't need protection from you!

L shouldn't need to verify anything to people like you!

You're not even here under your real name. How come, if you're not scared?

We've just heard...

...Stephen Collins has resigned.

- Good. - Not resigned as in "resigned to".

He's raving. He's going to the press.

He'll name you.

He's bound to.

- Give us a price. - Hang on. What's he offering?

It's an e-mail.

One sentence.

Fourteen... syllables.

- He wants ten grand. - Jesus! For what?

It links one of the top brass at U-EX to Warner-Schloss to Sonia Baker.

He says she's definitely mentioned in an e-mail.

OK, find Helen and go to my house. Stephen knows you're coming.

And tell Dan to come back here. OK?

Cal.

- Can we talk? - L haven't finished going through it all.

- Glad you're not a proof-reader. - L'm glad you don't compile crosswords.

Dominic Foy's changed his story every time.

- It's a process. - U-EX's lawyers would bounce him all over court.

Look, if you don't want the story, then give it back.

- The copyright is mine. - You're a staff writer.

Cameron sacked me long before all this. L'm freelance.

14-day rolling contracts.

Only because l brought that story. My terms say l can walk if it's not picked up.

Well, we had no option. We wanted the story.

Adam, go over Cal McCaffrey's freelance contract.

L want to know how much it will cost me to break the terms.

Do l sound like l'm not serious?

You hard-faced bastard. How long have l worked for you?

Long enough to know never to try threatening me.

Fine. Fine.

If the Media Group want to look like they bottled it so they get government favours...

- Scared of the government (?) - They want to buy radio licences.

- Won't happen if they piss the government off. - Where did you get that?

Is that true?

- She's here to obstruct us. - That is not my brief.

If this gets out - and it will - you're going to end up looking like a mug.

The sale on this story is conditional to its legal status.

Yvonne, grow up.

Why have they given you power over the budget but only on this story?

Another 20 grand would nail it. Conclusively.

Legally and exclusively.

For that l can give you an e-mail linking U-EX Oil directly to Sonia Baker.

An e-mail is not a quality document.

It is if you have a sworn affidavit from Stephen Collins confirming its contents.

- Since when? - Since he rejected a seat on the Cabinet.

He won't talk to anybody else.

So l'll just take a hike and give it straight to the "Telegraph".

And um... well, if he does that... l'm going with him.

And you'd be very wise to follow, unless you've got enough to retire on.

- Mr Stagg. - Interview with Sonny Stagg. 18:05.

Present, Detective Chief Inspector William Bell and Detective Sergeant Mark Cheweski

So what do you want to tell us about your brother's death?

19th May, 10th September. May in particular.

We discussed U-EX's history on environmental requirements.

- As in no history? - Total disregard.

Within eight weeks they launched two offensives.

New processing emission reduction in 15 plants. Not fitting them, just announcing them.

And a national school science awareness campaign. Same in September.

And we'd discussed a 10% decline in their community obligations over 15 years.

- Wasn't this starting to look obvious? - Not across a year.

Just shoring up their shareholders. Look up 22nd of September.

That was one of their own submissions by a young guy called Chris... oh.

L'll look it up. Obnoxious. L mean, really how not to submit to a session.

We discussed what a prick he was. Then they fire him.

Look up the 18th of September.

- Yvonne, l was just doing you a coffee. - Tell him to spend the money.

- It had better be watertight. - How much do we need to tell 'em?

- L'll work that out in the cab. - Lovely... shoes.

Paul Canning, Warner-Schloss, to Dominic Foy.

Which computer received this? Home or office?

Office.

Hardware's included in the price, by the way.

Hi, Pete? Yeah, tell Cal l've got it.

For once in his life, Dominic's done good.

L think the money helped. It reads...

75% of the details of most sessions wouldn't carry much currency for espionage,

but enough significant material passed through Sonia Baker's hands to justify, in my opinion,

why she would be useful to the oil industry, U-EX in particular,

because they, again in my opinion,

were the only company directly responding to hostile perceptions of their working practices.

At no time was Sonia Baker discussed with me outside of her role as researcher.

L've discovered that senior Cabinet members knew of my relationship

before l was forced to disclose it at a press conference, orchestrated by Andrew Wilson,

but suggested by George Fergus.

My secretary, Greer Thornton, confronted George Fergus directly,

naming him as the architect of that deception. When he needed to deny it, he said nothing.

L've just heard that Greer's resigned from her post, but l want to put it on record

that she did nothing wrong. She went on the recommendations of a senior Cabinet minister

with no justifiable indication that he was a born liar.

L'll put that statement on tape.

Greer Thornton made the mistake of acting on recommendations of a senior Cabinet minister

with no justifiable indication that he was a born liar.

What's the point in him resigning?

He's only resigning as chairman of the select committee, not as an MP.

The worst that could happen is they turn him into a loudmouth backbencher,

which sounds like Stephen Collins to me.

Er... just bike it over, then. L'll fire it straight back.

OK. Yeah. Cheers.

L just need to charge this up.

L guess l should phone Anne and the kids.

Sure. How did it go downstairs?

Long-winded.

Listen. Use the land-line. L'll leave you to it.

- (ANNE) Hello? - It's me before you say anything embarrassing.

How are you?

- Thank you for your help. That was lovely. - Go OK?

Mogadon lawyer. L wouldn't have picked him. Is he staying here?

- L don't know. - Helps if he is.

- Doesn't help me. - Offer him a hotel. Make it sound grubby.

- Can l get a lift with you? - We'll split the petrol.

Cal, Dan's trying to get you. He's got it.

- Della's going to sting Richard Siegler. - How much of this will we need?

- Enough to make it look like we've got more. - That's clear.

- Hello? - Um, Richard Siegler, please.

- Speaking. - My name's Della Smith.

L'm making enquiries about an employee of yours - Sonia Baker.

Mr Siegler?

- You're a journalist. - That's right.

- How did you get my home number? - One of your other colleagues, l think.

Sonia Baker was never an employee of ours. And that's all l want to say.

But you actually mentioned her in an e-mail to your lobbyists, Warner-Schloss.

- That's not true. That's all l have to say. - (LINE GOES DEAD)

dated the 15th of last month.

Quote, "If Miss Baker is a lost cause, l hold you responsible."

That's what we're printing tomorrow. Yours is the only name we're using.

What do you want to do about that?

L'll lose my job. That doesn't matter to you.

- Sonia Baker lost her life. - Don't connect me...

You endorsed misinformation of a government department for commercial benefit.

L'm not suggesting you pushed her under a train, but somebody did.

There was a confidential internal memo towards the end of last year. Christmas time.

It said we should treat all incoming information from Sonia Baker as top priority.

L assumed she was a field worker.

L thought she was.

It was only when l was put in charge of her feedback l realised who and where she was.

- L had nothing to do with her appointment. - Memos addressed to?