Lessons from No 10: What happens when the PM meets Trump and Putin | Peter Hill

Being prime minister can be a lonely job. Everyone wants your attention, your approval and a say in the decisions you make. But when the fanfare dies down, it’s you holding the pen and making the biggest calls.

Fortunately, every prime minister has one person at their side: their principal private secretary. Peter Hill was Theresa May’s PPS from 2017 to 2019, as well as her sherpa for the G7 and G20 summits. As the most senior civil servant in No 10, he was there for the private conversations, difficult decisions and encounters with some of the world’s most powerful leaders.

In this episode, Peter takes us behind the scenes of meetings with Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron, revealing what they’re really like in the room, the unexpected humour behind closed doors, and the reality of being at a prime minister’s right hand through thick and thin.

Producer: Sam Durham

Executive Producer: Rod Ardehali

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