Howell James, who recently founded strategic consultancy Brown
Lloyd James, is facing a terrible dilemma.
James, who was political adviser to John Major until he stepped down as
leader of the Conservative Party, will be one of those receiving
resignation honours from the Queen on 4 November.
Originally James had planned a small party for family, but the event
snowballed into a launch party for the new agency, and co-founders Sir
Nicholas Lloyd, former Daily Express editor, and Peter Brown, Lord
Lloyd-Webber’s US publicist, invited a whole host of celebrity
friends.
On the guest list are Lord Chadlington, Sir Tim Bell, his colleagues
Jonathan Hill (former political adviser to John Major) and Stephen
Sherbourne (Mrs Thatcher’s former political aide).
The party is now to be held at Christie’s auction house in St James, but
not, after all, on the night of the fourth.
The date clashed with Radio 4’s Today programme’s 40th birthday
party.
As this would have left guests having to choose between the two, the
date was moved to 3 November, leaving James with an agonising choice:
’Do I spend the whole night with a glass of fizzy water in my hand or go
to the palace with a blinding headache?’ It’s a hard life.
