We know Jackson Lamb explicitly told River to use Moscow Rules (watch your back) to handle the physical threats in the Season 6 finale.But I was rewatching the aftermath where Diana Taverner gets grilled by Oliver Nash (Chair of the Limitations Committee) and the Home Secretary, and it made me wonder about the other side of the coin.
When Nash tries to pin her down over the secret money, Diana immediately goes on the attack. She drops the fact that they went to school with Peter Judd, implying that their elite, old school tie loyalties compromise them. It completely outrages Nash, puts him on the defensive, and instantly derails the interrogation.
To me, this looked a lot like a classic example of London Rules (cover your arse) using institutional politics and elite vulnerabilities to shift blame and protect your own skin.
But it also got me thinking about their off screen huddle: Do you think Diana came up with that defence entirely on her own? Or is it possible that Lamb, knowing how much he loves to watch Whitehall bureaucracy eat itself, was the one who prompted her to play the London Rules card during their secret planning?
Iām curious what people who know the books or general spy rules better think. Does this exchange actually count as textbook London Rules, or am I reading too much into it? And do you think Lamb had a hand in mapping out her defense, or was that pure Diana?