Gordon Brown is fumbling with the coffee machine. He stops and stares at the accent in Nescafé for quite literally one minute.

– Sorry can I get to the machine says David Cameron.

– Oh, yeah. Oh, how’s it going?

– Oh hi, yeah great thanks. How are you?

There is a pause.

– Really great says Gordon Brown. Busy. What are you up to at the moment?

– I’m Prime Minister, David says quickly and matter of factly.

– Oh of course. How is that? We must meet up some time, I’ll give you my notes cos it really is silly to go through all the you know stuff a second time.

– Yeah, says David Cameron. Gordon Brown seems unconvinced.

David suddenly notices William Hague and George Osborne sitting at a table across the canteen. They are clearly laughing and miming miniature violins. David can feel giggles swelling from deep inside him like a force of pleasure they rise to his face and push against his cheeks turning them a deep purple. Gordon Brown is furiously pressing a picture of a coffee on the machine. David Cameron reaches over and presses the button marked Cappuccino. The machine makes a sound like steam coming out of ears and Gordon Brown says:

– I wanted a hot chocolate.

Your humble servant,