The Ventrue clan has held control of London for as long as anyone can remember, possibly since it was a fort named Londinium on the banks of the Thames. They have also been the most powerful force in English politics for almost as long. Certainly since the Norman Conquest. However, this long legacy of power threatens to come to an end very soon if the clan does not adapt to the rapidly changing modern age.
Traditionally, the Ventrue have had their pawns in the nobility and, quite often, royalty. They have controlled myriad titled landowners, knights, and even kings. However, the power of these groups is swiftly waning as the industrial era brings with it a new class of rich factory owners, wealthier than the nobility and often owning more land, but without the breeding and title which the blue bloods have come to expect.
These noveau riche have proven to be ripe breeding ground for Tremere influence, who know all too well about the problems and powers of social and political usurpers. This has led to a vicious struggle between the two clans for control of the Parliament, which is increasingly taking over the duties held by monarchs and the aristocracy in the past. Making the problem worse is that the Tremere have also begun recruiting members among the younger aristocracy, whose lack of any substantial legacy drives them to persue the more decadent pleasures enjoyed by their class in the past.
With the Tories, now called the conservatives, in recession, the Ventrue have been forced to persue new avenues towards securing control. This has led to the embrace and ghouling of a number of businessmen, merchants, and other prominent members of the rising upper middle class. However, this is not a widespread practice, as many of the elders refuse to concede defeat and continue to attempt to shore up the institution of the aristocracy even while the House of Lords slips into the background, leaving the business of running the country to the Brujah-dominated House of Commons.