9 Downing Streetis one of the buildings situated onDowning Streetin theCity of WestminsterinLondon,England.It has been used as a separate address to the better known10 Downing Streetsince 2001 for various government functions.
History
editThe building was previously part of the more famous10 Downing Street,which has been the official residence of theFirst Lord of the Treasurysince 1732.[1]This is normally thePrime Minister of the United Kingdom.[2]Many internal refurbishments over the years have altered the interior of10 Downing Street,11 Downing Streetand12 Downing Streetto the point that they are all part of a single complex.[1]It was part of a reorganisation in 2001 that the number 9 address was created.[3]
TheJudicial Committee of the Privy Councilwas based at 9 Downing Street until August 2009, when it moved toMiddlesex Guildhallwith theSupreme Court of the United Kingdom.It subsequently housed the offices of theChief Whip,though their official address remained No. 12. From 2016 until 2020 the building was used to house theDepartment for Exiting the European Union.[4]
In January 2020, the government began hosting lobby briefings at 9 Downing Street instead of the traditional location in theHouse of Commons.The move was criticised by journalists.[5][6]That year the building began undergoing a £2.6-million refurbishment in preparation for televised press briefings to be held.[7]
TheDowning Street Press Briefing Roomis located in No. 9; the first press conferences were held byBoris Johnsonin March 2021.[8]
Cultural references
editIn the 1980s British satirical showSpitting Image,Adolf Hitleris presented as living at 9 Downing Street under the name of Herr Willcocks and offering political assistance to the unaware Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher.[9]
References
editCitations
- ^abWeinreb et al. 2008,p. 246.
- ^"First Lord of the Treasury".HM Government.Retrieved3 March2020.
- ^"Campbell ousts the Chief Whip".The Daily Telegraph.7 September 2001.Retrieved3 March2020.
- ^"Who lives at No.9 Downing Street".The Guardian.22 August 2016.Retrieved3 March2020.
- ^Mayhew, Freddy (3 January 2020)."Lobby journalists raise 'significant concerns' over changes to daily Government briefings".Press Gazette.Retrieved6 January2020.
- ^Martinson, Jane (19 January 2020)."The Westminster lobby system is at the heart of a press freedom fight".The Guardian.Retrieved3 March2020.
- ^Allegretti, Aubrey (6 March 2021)."Downing Street spent £2.6m refurbishing No 9 as media centre".The Guardian.Retrieved6 March2021.
- ^Barney Davis (29 March 2021)."Boris Johnson to hold first Covid-19 conference in new £2.6million briefing room".Evening Standard.Retrieved30 June2021.
- ^Hendra, Tony (2004).Father Joe: The Man Who Saved My Faith.Random House. p.195.ISBN978-1-588-36381-7.
Sources
- Weinreb, Ben;Hibbert, Christopher;Keay, John;Keay, Julia (2008).The London Encyclopaedia(3rd ed.). Pan Macmillan.ISBN978-1-405-04924-5.