Downing Street is a street located in Central London, in the Whitehall area of the City of Westminster. The street is famous worldwide for housing the official residences of the Prime Minister (Number 10, Downing Street), and the Chancellor of the Exchequer (11, Downing Street). Technically, the residences are specifically designated for the First and Second Lords of the Treasury, and it is the case that all modern Prime Ministers have been First Lord of the Treasury, and after 1827, all Chancellors of the Exchequer have been Second Lord of the Treasury.
Prime Minister David Cameron is looking at plans to shorten school holidays to improve families' work-life balance - and was immediately backed by female MPs... more
How does Sam Cam do it? I don't mean the prime ministerial wife bit (which is more fun than torment), or the maintenance of some sort of job without ever appearing tired... more
Four police community support officers have been sacked for drinking tea in a Soho brothel when they should have been carrying out security patrols in Downing Street... more
Downing Street has applied to hold a royal wedding street party, sparking speculation the Prime Minister and his wife are planning an open-air bash
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As the world’s attention was focused on that shiny black door this morning, the mood in Downing Street – after the momentous events of the last two days – was strangely quiet... more
Election fever transforms the normally sedate environs of Downing Street into a riotous hub of activity as the media jostled to get the best shots of the official start of the campaign... more
Charity Commission inquiry gets under way into an anti-bullying helpline at the centre of a row over Gordon Brown's treatment of staff at 10 Downing Street... more
Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O’Donnell is under huge pressure to release papers to the Iraq inquiry after Downing Street says it wants “maximum transparency”... more
A Downing Street rescue operation was in full swing as Gordon Brown’s allies moved to prevent James Purnell’s resignation from tipping into a full-blown coup... more
I remember it well. You could cut the despair like one of those maggot-filled cheeses they serve you in northern Spain. Downing Street is not a nice place to be in the death-throes of a regime... more
Claims of "dirty tricks" and "black ops" by Downing Street were rife as allies of Ruth Kelly feared she had become the latest victim of a campaign to flush out Labour rebels... more
Number 9 Downing Street is the official residence of the Chief Whip, as well as being the Downing Street entrance to the Privy Council Office
The street was built by Sir George Downing, 1st Baronet, in the 1680’s on a plot of land awarded to him by Charles II for services to the King
Number 12 Downing Street is currently the home of the Prime Minister’s Information and Research Unit, Press Office, and Strategic Communications Unit.
In some cases, the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer will agree to swap residences, the PM living in Number 11, and the Chancellor in Number 10. The last time this happened was after the 1997 General Election, when new PM Tony Blair took residence in the bigger Number 11 in order to have more space to raise his family, while then-single Chancellor Gordon Brown moved into Number 10
Due to the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer being potential high value targets for organisations or individuals attempting to strike at the British government, armed police patrol the street, and there is always a uniformed police officer posted outside the door of Number 10.
Tonight:
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