Chapter 518: Pale and Powerless Argument

Hearing Sir Humphrey's reminder, Prime Minister Jim hurriedly followed suit, and the two of them sang in unison, like clowns performing in a circus.

The Industry Minister's eyes twitched wildly, but it was clear that the strong man had no intention of giving up.

He continued to ask.

"What about the Whitehall leak? There's always that, a piece of fake news that doesn't depend on any specific word."

"It will allow people in the City of London to leverage tens of billions of pounds of funds. Many ordinary investors will lose all their money."

"I heard that a famous investment institution took less than a month to grow its market value to over 10 billion from its inception."

"It took less than two weeks for the company to go from being a top investment institution to a bankrupt company with debts exceeding its assets."

"I remember that before this government came to power, it had promised the public that it would strengthen the management of the financial industry to prevent these parasites from sucking blood from the country without limit."

"And now I seriously suspect that some civil servants working in this house have unclear connections with many people in the City of London."

"They used the information in their hands to seek huge profits for themselves. A truly independent investigation must be launched, otherwise it will not be enough to give ordinary people an explanation."

"Ah???" There was obvious confusion on Prime Minister Jim Hack's face, with a hint of suppressed anger hidden deep in his eyes, and a little bit of nervousness.

As prime minister, he had to answer questions raised by his ministers, but the questions raised by the other party were simply not something he could answer.

He couldn't tell the other party clearly that he was eager to win and to suppress the noisy voices in the civil service system.

The purpose of sending someone to leak the news to the reporters was to make the matter a fait accompli, but now it has been messed up unexpectedly.

So after hesitating for a long time, he turned his head again and looked at Sir Humphrey beside him.

Sir Humphrey seemed to be prepared for this and spoke without thinking.

"Dear Minister, given the delicate balance of the current situation and the potential chain reaction that could result from launching a full independent investigation."

“These include, but are not limited to, irrational fluctuations in financial markets, unpredictable declines in public trust, and even a reassessment of my country’s financial stability on the international stage.”

“We have to weigh that carefully, even though in theory such an investigation might reveal some deeper issues that could pave the way for longer-term solutions.”

“But in practice, jumping into such actions without first assessing all potential consequences seems an overly idealistic and potentially counterproductive strategy.”

"As to whether there are traitors and collusion within the civil service, I think as a member of the Queen's Government, I can only assure you that I do not have such a situation."

"As for the other 170 million civil servants, I can't promise you anything."

This passage is like a carefully planned chess game, with mysteries hidden in every move. It not only expresses a deep understanding of the current situation, but also cleverly avoids directly answering the core question of why an independent investigation has not been initiated.

Like a prism, it reflects from different angles the complex attitude within Whitehall towards relations with the City of Finance, and the delicate balance between maintaining system stability and pursuing the truth.

Those who heard it read between the lines, as if they were in a battle of wits without the smoke of gunpowder, but in the end they found that the real answer was still hidden under the layers of words and was out of reach.

As for the last two sentences, they were unsurprisingly threatening, and Sir Humphrey had certainly noticed that the Prime Minister was somewhat dissatisfied with the Minister of Industry.

At the same time, as the top leader of the civil service system, he must make an adequate response to any direct criticism of the British Empire's civil service system.

Even if the other party is a minister appointed by the Queen, he is just a humble civil servant.

But it was obvious that the Minister of Industry, who had been fooled once, would not buy into such talk, and he wanted to speak in a somewhat exasperated manner.

But the Prime Minister, who was sitting in the seat of honor, spoke up to stop him.

"John, could you please go back to your seat? The formal meeting hasn't started yet, and there doesn't seem to be any need for such an argument."

"If you have any opinions, you will be given ample time to express your views after the meeting begins. Can you please go back to your seat now?"

Prime Minister Jim Hack, who had been acting like a fool, now seemed unusually tough, as his "killer instinct" told him.

If the Minister of Industry is allowed to continue making trouble like this, it will seriously affect his authority among other ministers.

He must demonstrate his authority as prime minister.

After hearing the Prime Minister's impolite words, the Minister of Industry could only sit back in his seat with an angry face.

After he sat down, Prime Minister Jim Hack breathed a sigh of relief, turned to look at the other ministers, gave an approachable smile and nodded.

"Okay, I declare the official cabinet meeting open. The topic of discussion is the location of the new wafer factory."

"After today's discussion, a formal bill will be formed and I will submit it to the House of Commons for a vote."

"Then I will..."

Prime Minister Jim Harker had just announced the start of the meeting, and the Minister of Industry, who had just sat down and hadn't even warmed up his chair, was eager to speak.

But he was interrupted again by the Prime Minister. Jim Hack didn't give any face at all and turned to look at Sir Humphrey beside him.

Pointing at the other person and said.

"Next, Sir Humphrey, the Cabinet Secretary, will introduce to you the benefits and convenience of the new scheme."

"And why we are doing this. Since it is a discussion, everyone can speak freely, but please also respect the speaking time of others."

After saying that, Jim Hack gave the Minister of Industry a look, as if threatening him not to make trouble again.

Sir Humphrey, standing aside, pretended to flip through the documents in front of him and looked at the other ministers with a standard professional fake smile.

Said calmly.

"My Lords, I know that many of us, two weeks ago, were in favour of the proposals put forward by our strong and resolute Minister of Industry."

“The proposal was so professional, full of creativity and strong execution, but unfortunately sometimes the development of things often exceeds our expectations.”

"So under the able guidance of the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Finance, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Transport and Safety Development, and the ministers."

"We humble civil servants have drafted a new plan that suits the current circumstances, and I am here to report it to you now."