-
A glimpse into the history of British MPs love affairs

According to Sputnik, in the UK, politicians have a history of steamy love affairs that have often cost them their jobs and reputation. love affairs
After the difficult couple of weeks UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock has had because of an ongoing COVID pandemic and repelling attacks from Boris Johnson’s former aide Dominic Cummings about his handling of the health crisis.
Now, it has emerged, according to a circulating security footage video, that the married father-of-three snogged his own aide Gina Coladangelo in the office.
Hancock later said he was “very sorry”… for breaking COVID social distancing rules.
But the health secretary is not the first (and probably won’t be the last) British politician to express public regrets about his steamy private life.
The Profumo Affair
A major sixties scandal saw Secretary of State for War John Profumo lose his job after lying about his affair with young model Christine Keeler, who was also linked to a Soviet captain at the same time. The magnitude of the scandal even prompted the resignation of Harold Macmillan’s Conservative government over the loss of credibility.
Eggs & Sex
Margaret Thatcher’s Junior Health Minister Edwina Currie lost her job in 1988 over the salmonella-in-eggs scandal, but it was not only this controversy that is now forever linked to her name. The former official turned writer admitted in her ‘Diaries’ that she'd had a four-year affair with future Prime Minister John Major while both were married.
Child Born Out of ‘Love’?
Former Trade and Industry Secretary Cecil Parkinson was also forced to quit his job in 1983 after it was revealed that the married official had fathered a child with his then-secretary Sara Keays. Parkinson’s career went uphill several years later with a high-profile appointment as the Secretary of State for Energy. It was widely reported in the media though that he had no intention of meeting his daughter Flora Keays, who'd had some serious health issues since birth.
Home Affairs
Lord Blunkett resigned from his Home Secretary post in 2004 following a scandal around his three-year affair with former Spectator magazine publisher Kimberly Quinn. David Blunkett was not married at the time, unlike Quinn, who'd had a history of extramarital affairs. During their relationship, Quinn gave birth to one son and became pregnant with another one. The DNA tests later confirmed that Blunkett was the father of her first son, but not the second one.
Boris Johnson and All His Babies
The current UK prime minister could have his picture placed in dictionaries next to the definition of 'turbulent sex life'. Johnson has recently tied the knot for the third time – he married the mother of his one-year-old son, former Tory head of communications Carrie Symonds. Previously he was married twice: to Oxford University sweetheart Allegra Mostyn-Owen and his childhood pal Marina Wheeler.
Wheeler and Johnson got married just 12 days after his first divorce, when she was already pregnant with their first child Lara Lettice. They had three more children during their 25 years of marriage that were marred with a number of sex scandals, including his alleged affair with Spectator journalist Petronella Wyatt, that cost him a post on the Conservative front bench. Another one resulted in an illegitimate child with arts consultant Helen Macintyre, while his relationship with American tech entrepreneur Jennifer Arcuri put him in hot water over the alleged misuse of public money. This scandal is still ongoing. love affairs
Source: Sputnik
Image source: AP-Sputnik
You May Also Like
Popular Posts
Caricature
BENEFIT Sponsors BuildHer...
- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
opinion
Report
ads
Newsletter
Subscribe to our mailing list to get the new updates!