Hugh O'Leary, the husband of former Prime Minister Liz Truss, has cemented his place in history as the most short-lived No 10 spouse after just 45 days in the role. The accountant, largely out of the spotlight, stepped outside Downing Street with his wife as she announced her resignation.
Born in 1974 in Allerton, Liverpool, O'Leary studied at the London School of Economics. He met Truss at the 1997 Conservative Party conference, with their first date involving ice skating where he sprained his ankle.
O'Leary ventured into politics himself, standing as a Tory candidate in the 2002 local elections in Greenwich. He garnered 447 votes, falling short of defeating Labour rivals. According to The Times, he has continued canvassing in Greenwich as recently as this year, with a local former politician describing him as 'very intelligent, very interested' and 'very supportive to Liz'.
The couple faced public scrutiny in 2006 when Truss's affair with married Conservative MP Mark Field emerged. Truss expressed regret, calling it 'a mistake I made' and stating it was 'water under the bridge' with her husband. O'Leary declined to comment, telling the Daily Mail: 'I don't want to talk about it.'
In a 2019 interview, Truss described herself as 'really happily married' and shared a Valentine's Day photo of them with the caption 'Love of my life.' O'Leary's brief tenure as No 10 spouse contrasts with previous first husbands like Denis Thatcher and Philip May, who played supportive roles.
