But when opening speaker Alastair Campbell stepped out of his cab, he was confronted by a passer-by – also called Alastair Campbell. “Do you have any idea what my life has been like?” his double demanded.
The former Labour spin doctor recovered enough to tell the audience exactly what his notorious reputation meant. Even when on a trip promoting the British & Irish Lions in New Zealand, a radio presenter asked Campbell what it was like “to be an Antichrist-type figure”.
After calling for diners to donate to Legal & General’s chosen mental illness charity, Campbell’s final act was to announce the compere for the afternoon. This was: “Stephen Amos and his glamorous assistant.”
Aldermore’s head of business banking, Steven Amos, and his personal assistant exchanged panicked glances. Luckily, the international comedy star took the microphone in time.
Unaware the UK’s favourite challenger bank had almost usurped his role, Amos announced ‘The Oscars’ of the mortgage industry. First up was Sarah Green, on behalf of Woolwich to collect the Best Lender Product Innovation award. Only ‘Sarah’ appeared to be a man in a suit. “Thank God the operation was successful,” Amos quipped.
The awards entered full swing. Halifax Intermediaries, Mortgage Advice Bureau and Nationwide for Intermediaries each scooped three awards. Legal & General bosses Ben Thompson and John Pollock outlined the firm’s plans for the future. Questions of identity seemed put to rest.
Then the raffle arrived. Shelter chief executive Campbell Robb won the Virgin vouchers. But the man coming up to collect the prize looked considerably more like Legal & General’s Stephen Smith.
Smith has assured Mortgage Solutions he’s merely holding the vouchers for the lucky winner. And by that point, few seemed to care whether faces matched names. Those that had won awards were basking in the warm June rays of recognition. And those that had not? Well, there was always wine…and next year.
