Liz Truss made history as Britain's shortest-serving prime minister, lasting only 44 days at Downing Street. Now, her husband Hugh O'Leary may be following 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 served on Criccieth Urban District Council in Wales from 1919 to 1941. O'Leary has fought council elections in 1998, 2002, and 2006, losing each 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.
Political Fallout and Other News
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.'
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, Runnymede, Elmbridge, Epsom, and Mole Valley. However, 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-independent partnership; Epsom is run by a local residents' association; 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, with TV cameras unable to catch him nodding supportively at Keir Starmer's comments, though he is known to be plotting.
Former government minister Lord Vaizey made sartorial history in the House of Lords last week by entering the division lobby without a tie. 'Nothing cultured about not wearing a tie,' sniffed a source 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 new Whitehall jargon, referring to 'NCCCs – non-corporate communications channels,' which means private mobiles.
