As the oldest living peer in the Lords at the grand age of 100, Baron Hutchinson of Lullington has a name that commands respect. While the QC stood as the Labour candidate in the constituency of Westminster Abbey in 1945 during which he canvassed 10 Downing Street, Jeremy Hutchinson is known for his illustrious career as a criminal barrister during which he defended the likes of Lady Chatterley and Christine Keeler.
However, reminiscing about his life at the Oldie of the Year lunch where he was awarded the top gong, Hutchinson suggested that he may not be as honest and noble as people like to think. He said that in the past ten years, people’s attitude towards him had changed and he is now able to say whatever he wants:
‘Everybody here knows about the ageing process but when you’re very old and you reach the age of 90 everything changes.
When I retired my profession everybody showed not the slightest bit of interest — although there was an audible sigh of relief in the judiciary of the Old Bailey — but at 90 suddenly you become interesting. You realise that not only are you an object of interest but you can say whatever you like.’
Since this discovery, the peer appears to be having some fun in his final years. Hutchinson recalled a conversation he recently has a woman who inquired about what it was like to canvass 10 Downing Street:
‘”It must have been very exciting knocking on the famous door,” she said. And I said well it was exciting but you know that the interesting door is the backdoor.
“Oh,” she replied.
“Have you never seen the backdoor? Well, it’s very small,” I replied. “Of course you have to have a code to be able to enter it. When you get inside, there is a circular staircase that goes up to the Prime Minister’s flat — and when you get to the top on the left is the door to the kitchen on the right is the door into the bedroom.”
“That’s terribly interesting, how do you know all this?” she asked.
“Oh well I got to know it very well when I was having my short fling with Mrs Margaret in 1980,” I replied.’
While the woman appeared to take Hutchinson’s words as gospel, the peer made the point that even if others suspect him of lying with regards to his Thatcher fling, no-one can prove it. After all, he is the only one from the story who is still alive.
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