The assassination of United Kingdom Prime Minister Francis Urquhart occurred on July 30, 2003, 11 years and 210 days into his premiership. While attending the unveiling of a statue of Margaret Thatcher in Parliament Square, Prime Minister Urquhart and civilian Evanghelos Passolides were shot and killed by a sniper in Corder's services. Urquhart's wife Elizabeth had arranged for his assassination as the only way to preserve his reputation and secure a retirement fund.
Urquhart's assassination resulted in Tom Makepeace being elected unopposed as the next Conservative Party leader, and succeeded Urquhart as Prime Minister. Urquhart received a state funeral, and soon afterward his party won a landslide victory in the 2005 general election. It was the most recent assassination of a prime minister since Spencer Perceval in 1812. At the time of his assassination, Urquhart had been prime minister for 4,228 days, one day longer than Margaret Thatcher.
Assassination[]
Orchestration[]
In 2003, Prime Minister Francis Urquhart wanted to leave a legacy by reuniting Cyprus, but his hardline manoeuvring in the Cyprus settlement resulted in the death of civilians, including young schoolgirls, largely because of the prime minister's drastic orders. Urquhart's support plummeted, and when he proved unwilling to accept responsibility for the deaths or express sympathy for the victims, many MPs openly called on him to resign.
While Urquhart appeared defiant, refusing to resign as he was close to beating Margaret Thatcher's record for time served in office, his wife Elizabeth was worried, and she consulted Corder for advice on how to save him. Corder advised "drastic measures". Elizabeth decided to have her husband assassinated to spare him the shame of exposure, resignation, trial, life imprisonment, and historical damnation (his opponents were close to uncovering his shady past).
Unveiling of a statue of Margaret Thatcher[]
Francis Urquhart singing the national anthem "God Save the King"
On July 30, 2003, the day Urquhart surpassed Thatcher's record as the longest serving post-war prime minister by one day, he attended the unveiling of her statue at Parliament Square. Also in attendance were Urquhart's wife Elizabeth, Corder, Tom Makepeace, and The King of England, who unveiled the statue.
As Urquhart and the other members of the crowd were singing the national anthem, "God Save the King", Evanghelos Passolides, the brother of the two men Urquhart killed in Cyprus in 1956, entered the crowd carrying a pistol and approached the prime minister, aiming to kill him to avenge his brothers.
Shooting[]
Urquhart's death.
Moments after the crowd finished singing the national anthem, a sniper in Corder's services appears on a rooftop and shoots Urquhart through the back, fatally injuring him. After Urquhart collapsed to the ground, the sniper also shot Passolides, killing him instantly. The shooting of the two men sends most of the crowd into a panic. Elizabeth comforted Urquhart as he died, telling him that this only way to preserve his reputation and secure the retirement fund. Urquhart dies in her arms.
Aftermath[]
Urquhart's assassination resulted in Makepeace being elected unopposed as the next Conservative Party leader, and succeeded Urquhart as Prime Minister. Urquhart’s body lay in state in the Great Hall at Westminster where the public filed past to pay homage without pause. His party won a landslide victory unprecedented in modern electoral history in the 2005 general election, out of sympathy for Urquhart's assassination two years prior. Urquhart is the most recent prime minister to have died in office, and his assassination was the most recent assassination of a prime minister since Spencer Perceval in 1812.
Trivia[]
- In the novel, Francis Urquhart allows himself to be killed by Evanghelos Passolides, martyring himself in the process by pushing his wife out of the way and saving her life. Tom Makepeace does not challenge Urquhart for the leadership in the novel, but instead leads a popular movement to undermine Urquhart and his leadership. The premiership goes to Maxwell Stanbrook, the Environment Secretary.