2008 United Kingdom general election

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The Master, under the alias "Harold Saxon", came to power in an election in 2008. (TV: The Sound of Drums) This was partly due to the Tenth Doctor, who instigated the political downfall of his predecessor, Harriet Jones, on Christmas Day 2006 shortly after his regeneration. (TV: The Christmas Invasion)

History

Background

After March 2007, Saxon was reported by The Daily Telegraph newspaper as leading polls with 64% during a state of "government paralysis". (TV: Love & Monsters) On 24 December that year, there were "orders from Mr Saxon" for a Challenger 2 to tank destroy the Racnoss Webstar which was attacking London. (TV: The Runaway Bride) As Jack Harkness recalled, this was when Saxon first came to prominence. (TV: The Sound of Drums)

In light of the downfall of Harriet Jones, an election was called to decide the next Prime Minister. The Master put forward his bid for Prime Minister. (TV: The Sound of Drums)

Campaign

The Master began the "Vote Saxon" campaign, with posters appearing from London to Cardiff. (TV: Smith and Jones, Captain Jack Harkness) Websites were established to cover Harold Saxon. Among the people who backed the campaign were Ann Widdecombe, Sharon Osbourne and the band McFly. (TV: The Sound of Drums)

During his campaign for Prime Minister, the Master visited Mildfields School, using the Archangel Network to brainwash the staff into having false memories of "Saxon" to gain political support. One teacher, James Curtis, was resistant to the Network, so the Master used his laser screwdriver to implant the appropriate memories into his mind, but not before Curtis voiced his concerns to journalist Vivien Rook. (PROSE: Speech Day)

By mid-2008, Saxon was noted as speaking openly about the existence of alien life beyond Earth. Three days prior to the election, the Royal Hope Hospital was temporarily transported to the Moon before being returned to Earth. Amongst the eyewitnesses within the hospital was medical student Oliver Morgenstern, who reported his experiences, including seeing the Earth suspended in space, to the news, which he took as proof that Saxon was right. That night, the Doctor was joined in the TARDIS by Martha Jones, another medical student from the Royal Hope Hospital. (TV: Smith and Jones)

On election day, (TV: 42) as the vote swang Saxon's way, future members of his cabinet, as he put it, abandoned their political parties and jumped on "the Saxon bandwagon". (TV: The Sound of Drums)

Behind the scenes

"Vote Saxon" as seen on a BBC One trailer.

• The exact nature of the Master political party was not elaborated on, with only the reference that his cabinet "abandoned [their] parties and [they] jumped on the Saxon bandwagon".
  • The in-universe website haroldsaxon.co.uk contains more details:

Leaders of all three major parties - and even some Scottish Nationalists - defected to his banner of unity, bringing most of their parties with them. All that remains of those once august institutions are a few old soldiers, unable to change with the times and clinging to past glories. The rest of us look forward to a more effective and efficient government.haroldsaxon.co.uk

• The website was published in 2007. At the time, the Scottish Nationalists held just six seats in Westminster, and it would be another eight years before they became the third-largest party.