Tory party conference latest: Whips lift the lid on life in Westminster
They are said to operate in the shadows of Parliament.
Ready to coerce, cajole, and bully rebel MPs into supporting the ruling party at all costs.
And some say they wield the power over whether political careers thrive...or die!
I'm talking about the Government Whips.
Their roles are usually little-known and shrouded in secrecy.
But the American adaptation of the hit political drama House of Cards, featuring Kevin Spacey as the conniving Frank Underwood, has undoubtedly increased the prominence of the whips operation in the public consciousness.
In reality they play a crucial function in getting the Government's business through the House of Commons as a go-between for ministers and backbenchers.
Following the rise of Theresa May as Prime Minister, Staffordshire and the Black Country finds itself uniquely placed inside the whips' office.
Not only is the wily and affable Conservative South Staffordshire MP Gavin Williamson at the top of the tree as Chief Whip – he is accompanied by the Coseley-born Burton MP Andrew Griffiths and the Walsall-born Tamworth MP Chris Pincher.
But don't call them the 'Staffordshire Mafia'.
"The mafia occasionally showed mercy," joked Mr Pincher.
Mr Williamson, who keeps a fearsome pet tarantula in his office, is the one Cabinet member guaranteed to see the Prime Minster every day when she is in Downing Street.
The job carries with it the Government's darkest secrets, which usually means a ban on media interviews.
Oops.
"Being Chief Whip is like running a factory," he says.
