Liz Truss made history as Britain’s shortest-serving prime minister, lasting only 44 days at Downing Street. Is her husband Hugh O’Leary about to follow her into the record books?
O’Leary, an accountant who studied econometrics and mathematical economics at the London School of Economics, is standing for election to Greenwich Council this week.
It is believed he is the first spouse of a prime minister to stand for public office after leaving Downing Street since Margaret Lloyd George, who was on Criccieth Urban District Council in Wales from 1919 to 1941.
Former prime minister Liz Truss and her husband Hugh O’Leary, who is standing or election to Greenwich Council this week
O’Leary fought council elections in 1998, 2002 and 2006 – and lost every time.
A popular figure among local Tories, his decision to stand is all the more striking given the never-ending speculation linking Truss to Reform UK.
Asked on TV last year whether she would prefer Nigel Farage or Kemi Badenoch to succeed, Truss – still a card‑carrying Conservative – declined to answer.
Angela Rayner’s altercation with the door of the Strangers’ Bar after a boozy session in the House of Commons should not kill off her prime ministerial ambitions, say colleagues. ‘No 10 is the safest place for her,’ argued one. ‘They open the door automatically when you walk in.’
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A Tory-free zone
In fighting form ahead of Thursday’s local elections, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch reeled off a list of councils where the Tories were doing a good job.
‘We have excellent councils,’ she told BBC Surrey, citing Guildford, Runny mede, Elmbridge, Epsom and Mole Valley. Really? In Guildford, the Lib Dems are in charge. Runnymede is in the hands of a four-way coalition, with no Tories involved.
Elmbridge has a Lib Dem-independ ent partnership. Epsom is run by a local residents’ asso ciation, and Mole Valley is Lib Dem.
Would-be leadership contender Wes Streeting again avoided the front bench for last week’s Prime Minister’s Questions. He was seen squatting on the steps of the Speaker’s chair. The TV cameras couldn’t catch him nodding ‘supportively’ at Keir Starmer’s comments – when we know he’s plotting like mad.
Lord help us, Vaizey
So, who was the former government minister who made sartorial history in the House of Lords last week by entering the division lobby without a tie?
Step forward Lord Vaizey, who for six years was Culture minister in David Cameron’s Tory government. ‘Nothing cultured about not wearing a tie,’ sniffed my mole on the red leather benches. ‘He had three buttons undone and his shirt was hanging out. What a disgrace.’
Darren Jones – Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister and minister for the Lord Mandelson vetting crisis – has deployed a piece of new Whitehall jargon, referring to ‘NCCCs – noncorporate communications channels’. What on earth does he mean? Private mobiles, of course!
