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First Among Equals (novel)


Author(s)

Jeffrey Archer

Country

United Kingdom

Language

English

Genre(s)

Political novel

Publisher

Simon & Schuster

Publication date
Media type

1984

Print (Hardback, Paperback)

Pages 415 pp
ISBN 0-671-50406-1
OCLC Number

10607270

Dewey Decimal

823/.914 19

LC Classification

PR6051.R285 F5 1984

First Among Equals is a 1984 novel by British author Jeffrey Archer, which follows the careers
and personal lives of four fictional British politicians (Simon Kerslake, MP for Coventry Central
and later Pucklebridge; Charles Seymour, MP for Sussex Downs; Raymond Gould, MP for Leeds
North; and Andrew Fraser, MP for Edinburgh Carlton) from 1964 to 1991, with each vying to
become Prime Minister. Several situations in the novel are drawn from the author's own early
political career in the British House of Commons, and the fictional characters interact with
actual political figures from the UK and elsewhere including Winston Churchill, Alec DouglasHome, Harold Wilson, Edward Heath, Margaret Thatcher, Douglas Hurd, Colonel Gadaffi, Gary
Hart and Queen Elizabeth II.
The title is a literal translation of the Latin term Primus inter pares, a term used to refer to
either the most senior member of a group of equals (peers) or to refer to someone who claims
to be just one member of a group of equals when in reality he or she completely dominates
said group. This phrase is used to describe the official constitutional status of the British Prime
Minister within his Cabinet.
When published in the United States, the novel was rewritten to eliminate the character of
Andrew Fraser. The Fraser character eventually departs the Labour Party to join the breakaway
Social Democratic Party. According to Archer, the change was made because the publisher did
not believe the American audience would understand a multi-party political system. As a
result, several plot elements revolving around Andrew Fraser were transferred to other
characters, notably Simon Kerslake, who suffered through a change of heart in a prospective
marriage partner and the later loss of a child in the US edition, while these events happened
to Andrew Fraser in the UK edition.
The ending of the novel differed in the US version as well, with both the winner of the ultimate
election and the manner in which the contest was decided changing from one version to the
next. In an interview, Archer joked that he found his American friends were generally more
supportive of Kerslake, while his British readers backed Gould.

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The original UK version was later released in the United States as well.

The Honourable Charles Gurney Seymour, 1st Viscount Seymour of the Downs, is a fictional
character in the political novel First Among Equals, by Jeffrey Archer. When the novel was first
published in the United States, the character's name was altered to "Charles Gurney
Hampton".
He is the second son of the Earl of Bridgewater. As he is the younger of twins (by a mere nine
minutes), he does not inherit his father's peerage, shares in a merchant bank, a castle in
Scotland or the 20,000-acre (80 km) family estate. Missing out on such opulence, wealth and
power to his harmless brother Rupert whom he despises (a feeling which his brother does not
appear to share) leaves him bitter.
Charles went to Eton College. After leaving school he progressed to the University of Oxford.
One night he heard a speech given by then-Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill. He was so
inspired by the elder statesmen's speech that he decided to do everything he could to
become Prime Minister.
[edit]Early political career
An implacably ambitious and scheming man, Charles was elected the Conservative Party
Member of Parliament (MP) for Sussex Downs with a majority in excess of 20,000 votes in
1964. He set about making himself stand out amongst the new intake of Conservative MPs.
He ruthlessly backed Edward Heath for the leadership of the Conservative Party following the
resignation of Sir Alec Douglas-Home simply because Heath was most likely to lead the party.
His tactics paid off; Heath was elected leader and Charles was rewarded by being elevated to
the front bench. His early posts included a stint in the Shadow Chief Whip's Office and the
Shadow Local Government and Housing Department.
[edit]Political rival
Charles Seymour always predicted Simon Kerslake was "the only one of his contemporaries
who could prevent him from leading the party." He therefore set about to wreck Kerslake's
career. He tried to bankrupt him, leaked any scandals he could find about Simon, abused his
powers as Junior Whip to ensure that Simon was absent on crucial votes in the House of
Commons, thus causing Simon lose favour with the leader, and unsuccessfully attempted to
block Simon's bid to return to the Commons after his seat was abolished in boundary changes.
[edit]Cabinet career
Although he did not support her in the leadership election following the forced resignation of
Edward Heath, Charles later served under Margaret Thatcher as Foreign Secretary and Home
Secretary.
[edit]Leadership contest
Charles attempted to succeed Thatcher as Conservative Leader following her resignation. He
stood against Kerslake and the foppish MP Alec Pimkin for the leadership. He topped the first
ballot with an insufficient majority, prompting a run-off vote, which he lost. He lost the second
ballot largely thanks to the defeated Alec Pimkin deciding to vote for Kerslake (he later
confessed that he wanted to go to his grave knowing he done at least one decent thing).

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Seymour was also damaged by the donation of a famous and expensive family portrait of the
First Earl of Bridgewater to the British Museum. The move was perceived by members as
being opportunistic, and contributed to Seymour getting a lower 2nd ballot total than on the
first ballot.
In reality, the portrait was stolen from him by his ex-wife Fiona, who wanted to inflict
maximum personal hurt on Seymour. She made the donation in the midst of the leadership
contest knowing Seymour could not politically ask for the portrait to be returned to him.
First Ballot (held on Tuesday May 16th 1989)
1. Charles Seymour 138 votes
2. Simon Kerslake 135 votes
3. Alec Pimkin 15 votes

Second Ballot (held on Tuesday May 23rd 1989)


1. Simon Kerslake 158 votes
2. Charles Seymour 130 votes
[edit]Post-front bench career
Charles was depressed about losing the leadership contest. His fate was sealed when his
embittered ex-wife sold his story to the tabloid News of the World revealing all his underhand
tactics. Kerslake was not bitter, however, and made Charles (who at this point was aging
rapidly) numerous offers to return to the front bench. Charles declined them all and at his
request became the Speaker of the House of Commons. As Speaker, he hosted a historic
dinner at which Queen Elizabeth II revealed her intention to abdicate.
[edit]Family

Charles had a poor relationship with his mother, he detested his brother the Earl, and his two
marriages both ended in divorce. Yet he showed a tremendous devotion to his son Harry, and
was devastated when his ex-wife implied that Harry might not be his child (he was delighted
when a DNA test confirmed he was).
In the ITV television adaptation of First Among Equals, Charles was played by Jeremy Child.
The Right Honourable Charles Gurney Seymour MP
Speaker of the House of Commons
Incumbent
Assumed office
1990
Monarch

Elizabeth II

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Charles III
Preceded by Lord Weatherill
Foreign Secretary
In office
19861987
Prime Minister

Margaret Thatcher

Succeeded by

The Rt.Hon.Simon Kerslake, MP

Home Secretary
In office
19871988
Prime Minister

Margaret Thatcher

Member of Parliament
for Sussex Downs
Majority

20,000+

Personal details
Nationality

British

Political party
Spouse(s)

Conservative

Lady Fiona Seymour (ex-wife)

Amanda Wallace Seymour (ex-wife)


Relations

Rupert Seymour, Earl of Bridgwater (brother).

Children

Harry Seymour

Residence

Eaton Square

Alma mater University of Oxford

Simon Kerslake is a fictional character in the political novel First Among Equals, by Jeffrey
Archer. He is a British Conservative Party politician, representing the Coventry Central and
later Pucklebridge constituencies, who served under Prime Ministers Edward Heath and
Margaret Thatcher.There is a certain amount of autobiographical influence in the chararcter,
as he shares Archer's politics, sporting history and a financial scandal that threatens his
political career.
[edit]Personal life

Simon is a devoted family man married to Elizabeth (ne Drummond), a gynecologist, with
two sons, Peter and Michael. His desire to look after his family nearly costs him his political
career in the British House of Commons: anxious to give his family the lifestyle he felt they
desired, he makes some risky investments, accumulates a lot of debt and only narrowly
avoids bankruptcy.
[edit]Political career

Kerslake is a centrist Conservative, hard-working and honourable (despite his poor business
judgment).
With only a few political missteps, Kerslake rises steadily through the Conservative Party
during his 30-year career. Boundary changes lead to the abolition of his constituency at the
February 1974 general election but he finds another and returns to the Commons at the
October 1974 general election. He is badly injured by an IRA bomb while serving as Minister of
State for Northern Ireland. He serves in a number of other Cabinet posts, including Secretary
of State for Defence.
Simon's biggest rival is Charles Gurney Seymour, an aristocratic Conservative MP who does
everything he can to stymie and sidetrack him. Simon narrowly survives each attempt to
bring him down, and ultimately defeats him in a closely fought contest to be elected Leader of
the Conservative Party.
The novel culminates in an extremely close general election in 1991 (the novel was published
in 1984). Labour Party leader Raymond Gould becomes Prime Minister in the original British
edition of the novel, which ends with King Charles III inviting Kerslake to Buckingham Palace
and informing him that he intends to make Gould his first Prime Minister. However, in the U.S.
edition, Gould is invited to Buckingham Palace. King Charles III then informs him that in fact,
Kerslake is to become the Prime Minister.
The Right Honourable Simon Kerslake MP PC
Leader of the Opposition
In office
19901990
Shadow Housing Spokesman
In office
19691970
Prime Minister

Harold Wilson

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Home Office


In office
19701974

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Prime Minister

Edward Heath

Shadow Minister of State for Education


In office
19751979
Prime Minister

Harold Wilson

James Callaghan
Minister of State for Northern Ireland
In office
19791982
Prime Minister

Margaret Thatcher

Minister of State for Defence


In office
19821985
Prime Minister

Margaret Thatcher

Secretary of State for Defence


In office
19851988
Prime Minister

Margaret Thatcher

Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs


In office
19881989
Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
In office
19891990
Shadow Secretary of State for the Home Office
Incumbent
Assumed office
1990
Member of Parliament
for Coventry Central

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In office
19641974
Member of Parliament
for Pucklebridge
Incumbent
Assumed office
1975
Majority

19,641

Personal details
Nationality

British

Political party

Conservative

Spouse(s)

Elizabeth Drummond Kerslake

Children

Peter Kerslake

Michael Kerslake
Occupation Politician

The Rt. Hon Raymond Gould QC MP is a fictional character in the political novel First Among
Equals, by Jeffrey Archer. He is a British Labour Party politician, representing the Leeds North
constituency, who served under Prime Ministers Harold Wilson and James Callaghan.
Gould, a red-haired intellectual from a blue-collar background, reluctantly married when his
girlfriend Joyce got pregnant. She miscarried not long after the wedding. Although she always
loved him, Gould was bored and resentful of Joyce. He became active in politics, in part, as a
way of escaping life at home, but mostly because of his childhood desire to bring about
increased pensions for war widows (inspired by his grandmother, the impoverished widow of a
soldier). Gould was repeatedly unfaithful to Joyce. He once visited a prostitute (fortunately, he
avoided the scandal he was sure would result when he rejected the prostitute's blackmail
threat), had an affair with a female barrister, and carried on a long-term affair with a vivacious
American businesswoman. Gould was a barrister, who steadily made his way up the ranks to
be appointed one of the youngest Queen's Counsel in the country.
Gould rose steadily through the Labour Party, making a name for himself as a highly capable
administrator and an expert on economic theory. He served brilliantly as Chancellor of the
Exchequer. At the peak of his career, Gould's biggest political rivals were Conservative frontbenchers Simon Kerslake and Charles Gurney Seymour. The novel culminates in an extremely
close general election in 1991 (it was published in 1984).
Gould became Prime Minister in the original British edition of the novel, as well as the ITV
television adaptation which ends with King Charles III inviting him to Buckingham Palace and

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asking him to form a government. However, in the U.S. edition, Kerslake becomes Prime
Minister.
The Right Honourable Raymond Gould QC MP PC
Majority

12,567 (1970)

Chancellor of the Exchequer


In office
19891991
Prime Minister

John Smith

Member of Parliament
for Leeds North
In office
19911996
In office
1964 6th May 2010
Personal details
Nationality

British

Political party
Spouse(s)

Labour

Joyce Gould (wife)

Stephanie Arnold (mistress)


Kate Garthwaite (mistress)
Occupation Barrister
Politician

Andrew Fraser is a fictional character in the political novel First Among Equals, by Jeffrey
Archer. He is a British politician of the Labour Party, representing the Edinburgh Carlton
constituency, and later the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Fraser was the son of a Scottish Conservative politician, but turned to moderate Labour
politics as a young man. He married his wife Louise after falling in love at first sight (and
dumping his longtime girlfriend immediately, resulting in him being denied the chance to
serve as Parliamentary Private Secretary to her father, the then-Minister of State for
Scotland). Louise suffered a miscarriage and the death of their two-day-old daughter during
their marriage. They had one healthy child, Robert, who was run down by a car and killed;
Louise lost the power of speech for a time as a result. They later adopted their daughter
Clarissa.

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Fraser's career in the Labour Party was cut short when he found his party to be swinging
towards much more leftist stance that neither Andrew nor many of his fellow party-members
shared, which was aggravated by his local party committee deselecting him from his
Edinburgh constituency, replacing him with the far-left activist Frank Boyle. At the ensuing
general election, Fraser stood as the SDP candidate, and tied with Boyle for votes (something
which has never, in reality, happened in British parliamentary elections). This required the
Returning Officer to decide between them by tossing a coin. Fraser correctly called 'tails' and
was returned to the House of Commons.
The novel culminates in an extremely close general election in 1991 (it was published in
1984). By this time, Fraser is the leader of the SDP, which holds the balance of power in a
hung parliament. His fellow SDP MPs are evenly split on which of the two main party leaders,
Raymond Gould of Labour and Simon Kerslake of the Conservatives, to endorse as Prime
Minister of the United Kingdom. They leave the decision to Fraser personally.
Fraser endorses Gould in the original British edition of the novel, as well as the ITV television
adaptation which ends with King Charles III inviting Gould to Buckingham Palace and asking
him to form a government. However, in the U.S. edition, Kerslake becomes Prime Minister.
Andrew Fraser MP
Leader of The Social Democratic Party
Member of Parliament
for Edinburgh Carlton
Personal details
Nationality

British

Political party

Labour

SDP
Spouse(s)

Alison MacKenzie (ex-girlfriend)

Louise Fraser (ne Forsyth)


Relations

Sir Duncan Fraser (father)

Children

Robert Bruce Fraser (deceased)

Clarissa Fraser (adopted)


Occupation Politician

Primus inter pares (Greek: (protos metaxy ison), English: the first among
equals or first among peers) is a Latin phrase describing the most senior person of a group
sharing the same rank or office.[1]
When not used in reference to a specific title, it may indicate that the person so described is
formally equal, but looked upon as an authority of special importance by their peers.

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However, in some cases it may also be used to indicate that while the person described
appears to be an equal, they actually are the group's unofficial or hidden leader, and thus the
reference to this person being "equal" to the rest is intended to project mutual respect and
camaraderie.
The term "Prime Minister" can be compared to "primary minister" or "first minister". Because
of this, the Prime Ministers of many countries are traditionally considered to be "first among
equals" they are the chairman or "head" of a Cabinet rather than holding an office that is de
jure superior to that of ministers.
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom has frequently been described as "first among
equals." In the UK, the executive is the Cabinet, and during Hanoverian times a minister had
the role of informing the monarch about proposed legislation in the House of Commons and
other matters. In modern times, however, although the phrase is still used, it understates the
powers of the Prime Minister, which now include many broad, exclusive, executive powers
over which cabinet members have little influence.
First Among Equals is the title of a popular political novel (1984) by Jeffrey Archer, about the
careers and private lives of several men vying to become British Prime Minister. It was later
adapted into a ten-part miniseries, produced by Granada Television.
Countries and jurisdictions that have adapted the British parliamentary system (such as
Canada and Australia) would have the same use for the phrase.

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