Summaries

Synopsis

When both the UK and the US are suggesting military intervention in the Middle East, Simon Foster (Tom Hollander), the Minister for International Development and MP for Northampton, unintentionally states that war in the region is "unforeseeable" during a radio interview on BBC Radio 4's Today program. The Prime Minister's Director of Communications, Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi), castigates Simon and warns him to toe the line. Judy Molloy (Gina McKee), Director of Communications for the UK Department for International Development, tries to defend Simon, but Tucker swears at her too and storms off.Toby Wright (Chris Addison), Simon's new aide, aided by his girlfriend Suzy (Olivia Poulet), manages to get Simon into that day's Foreign Office meeting. The meeting is organized by Michael Rodgers (James Smith), Director of Diplomacy at the UK Foreign Office and Suzy works for Michael.

Karen Clark (Mimi Kennedy), the US Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomacy, who opposes military intervention, is leading the meeting and flags a report by her assistant Liza Weld (Anna Chlumsky) titled "Post-War Planning, Parameters, Implications and Possibilities" (PWPPIP). The report heavily opposes intervention, noting insufficient intelligence except that originating from an unsubstantiated source known as "Iceman". Also, during the committee, it is hinted at that the US Assistant Secretary of State for Policy, Linton Barwick (David Rasche), may have set up a secret war committee.After reporters ambush him, Simon contradicts his previous statement by saying the government has to be prepared to "climb the mountain of conflict" and is again chastised by Tucker.

Returning to the US, Karen and Liza conclude that Linton has created a war committee under the guise of Future Planning. Bob Adriano (Enzo Cilenti), advisor to Assistant Secretary Linton reports back to him that Karen may know about the War committee. Linton edits all the meeting minutes to reflect only the pro war sentiments and removes all references to the war committee.Tucker asks Simon to go to US on a fact-finding mission and Simon decides to take Toby and dumps Judy.

At a party Karen teams up with Lieutenant General George Miller (James Gandolfini) who opposes the war believing that the US has insufficient troops to succeed. She tells him that they could use Simon on the committee as he would "internationalize the dissent". While on a fact-finding mission in Washington, Simon and Toby are invited by Karen to the Future Planning committee. Toby accidentally leaks the details of the meeting to a friend at CNN before meeting up with Liza at a bar; they end up sleeping together.

Tucker also reaches US and tells Simon that the real war committee meeting is at the White house, which Tucker is attending. But Tucker finds that Linton has assigned a young nobody to occupy Tucker, while he conducts the War committee meeting at the venue that Simon talks about.

Due to Toby's leak the Future Planning committee is swamped, but Karen and George fail to find out anything about the war. Both Karen and Linton turn to Simon to back their respective causes, but he struggles to say anything meaningful and ultimately remains neutral. Tucker confronts Linton, who tells him that he must supply the US with the British intelligence on the situation in the Middle East, with which Linton will influence the vote on intervention.

Back in his constituency of Northampton, Simon is harassed by a constituent, Paul Michaelson (Steve Coogan), about the state of one of Simon's constituency office walls which he claims is about to collapse into his mother's garden. News of this reaches the papers, who criticize Simon for inaction on the issue. Karen calls Simon and says that the leak about the war committee came from his office and wants a head. Simon asks Toby, who suggests Judy may be the source of the leak. Simon and Tucker pile into Judy.Suzy discovers Toby's one-nightstand with Liza, and they break up. When leaving their apartment, he gives her a copy of PWPPIP to leak if she wants, but she chastises him for not doing it himself.

The President rushes forward the security council vote on military intervention by vetoing tariffs on Chinese imports (this signals that the President wants China to abstain on the vote on war). Simon tells his Director of Communications Judy Molloy (Gina McKee), to leak to the press that he would resign if the committee voted in favor. Simon, Judy, Toby and Tucker head to NYC for the UN SC vote. Tucker finds out that Simon intends of resigning protesting against the war.Once at the UN Headquarters Tucker gets word that PWPPIP has been leaked, making a yes vote unlikely. It is later revealed that Michael Rodgers (James Smith) of the Foreign Office accidentally leaked it, unaware of its importance. Miller and Tucker convince Jonathan Tutt (Alex Macqueen), the UK Ambassador, to delay the meeting so that the leak cannot spread in the US.

However, Linton overrules Tucker by telling him that the British intelligence must be handed over prior to a vote. Tucker does not have any intelligence. Able to make Jonathan reverse his changes to the UN schedule and delay the meeting, Tucker, aided by Senior Press Officer Jamie McDonald (Paul Higgins) ("the crossest man in Scotland,"), fabricates the report's details by forcing Michael to remove all arguments against intervention and presenting it as intelligence. Subsequently, the committee approves intervention.

Afterwards, George informs Karen that he will not resign now that the war is happening. Simon realizes that his own resignation is inevitable, but Tucker fires him from cabinet before he can do so. A new Minister for International Development arrives at the office.