THE INTERVIEW
Tom Tugendhat (1986-91)
Mark Lobel (1992-97), BBC World News Reporter and Presenter and former BBC Political Correspondent interviews the MP and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
I
t was Tom Tugendhat’s first engagement with Pauline life for almost thirty years. “What on earth are you doing this for?” the military man barked at me in his parliamentary office. Wrong-footed: “Um, I thought it would be interesting to meet you,” was my somewhat meek reply, before I then recognised this shot across the bows as a pre-interview power game. I had seen senior politicians try a variant of it in the past, claiming not to know what they were going to be interviewed about. “Oh. I’m here for my looks,” was Tom’s riposte, smiling slightly.
20
ATRIUM
AUTUMN / WINTER 2021
