Paul Rhys studied Donald Macintyre's 1999 biography of Peter Mandelson and gained an appreciation of the politician's work on the Northern Ireland peace process, and of his sexuality. Rhys portrayed Mandelson with a "myopic loyalty" and identified him as "remain preposterously loyal to Blair" after his defection from Kinnock and Brown. The representation of Mandelson was compared to both Iago and Pandarus. Other people associated with Blair and Brown who appear in the film are Anji Hunter, Blair's assistant (played by Glenna Morrison), journalist Sheena McDonald (played by Valerie Edmond), and Sue Nye, Brown's assistant (played by Joanna Scanlan).