Harold Wilson’s affair puts him on the list of politicians including Hancock, Major, Prescott, Ashdown and Lloyd George who have proved that power is the greatest aphrodisiac of all

According to the well-worn maxim, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts completely. 

But, for some of politics’ impossible lotharios, power has additionally proved to be a welcome aphrodisiac – till every part inevitably falls aside. 

It emerged final night time that former prime minister Harold Wilson had an affair throughout his second stint in Downing Street together with his deputy press secretary, Janet Hewlett-Davies.

But he was on no account the first politician to have a romantic liaison while climbing the ladders of power. 

Below, MailOn-line delves into the historical past of politics’ most notorious extra-marital dalliances, from John Major’s four-year relationship with Edwina Currie to Matt Hancock’s scandalous affair with Gina Coladangelo.  

John Major’s  four-year affair with Edwina Currie

Ms Currie revealed her four-year affair with Sir John – a lot to his dismay – in her diaries in 2002. 

The sexual liaison, which started when Sir John was a Government whip and Ms Currie – who later grew to become a well being minister – was a backbencher.

Sir John’s authorities was later badly broken by a string of sexual scandals involving ministers after he referred to as for a return to conventional values together with his Back to Basics coverage.

Mrs Currie stated she thought the marketing campaign, which was launched in 1993, was ‘absolute humbug’.

She added to The Times: ‘Part of the enjoyable was the thought that there John was, sitting in the Whips’ Office, typically discussing different folks’s affairs, and preserving very quiet about his personal. And I liked that feeling.’

Sir John stated shortly afterwards: ‘It is the one occasion in my life of which I’m most ashamed and I have lengthy feared it could be made public.’

He added that his spouse Norma had recognized of the affair for ‘a few years’ and had forgiven him. 

In 2012, when her second quantity of diaries had been revealed, Ms Currie advised the Daily Mail that Sir John was ‘a horny beast’.

‘I believe his historical past exhibits that. He was 19 when he was residing with a girl who was 33,’ she stated. 

‘Believe me, I didn’t have to show that man something. He was skilled and enjoyable.’

Ms Currie was referring to how, as a younger man, Sir John lived for 3 years with a divorcee 13 years his senior who grew to become his lover. 

John Prescott’s affair with secretary Tracey Temple 

In 2006, John Prescott, then the deputy prime minister, admitted to a two-year affair together with his secretary Tracey Temple. 

The pair began assembly in secret at his government-owned flat after the relationship started at an workplace get together.

The married father-of-two stated at the time: ‘I did have a relationship along with her which I remorse. It ended a while in the past. 

‘I have mentioned this totally with my spouse Pauline who is devastated by the information.

‘I might be grateful if Pauline and I can now get on with our lives collectively.’

Ms Temple, a divorcee, was residing with lorry driver Barrie Williams when the affair emerged.

Mr Williams advised the Mirror at the time: ‘I really feel sick. I can not imagine the lady I wished to marry has slept with John Prescott. I’ve been betrayed by one of the strongest males in the UK.’

Ms Temple advised the Mail on Sunday that Mr Prescott demanded intercourse from her in his ministerial workplace.

‘We had been very fortunate we had been by no means caught – as we by no means shut the door. I knew what we had been doing was dangerous however we each bought carried away,’ she added.

‘Seven civil servants labored proper exterior his workplace’

‘Of course there have been moments after I thought, “I shouldn’t be doing this”. I additionally thought how shocked and shocked folks could be if this ever bought out.’ 

David Mellor’s affair with jobbing actress Antonia de Sancha

In 1992, it emerged that Tory tradition secretary David Mellor – famously dubbed the ‘minister for enjoyable’, had carried out a three-month affair with jobbing actress Antonia de Sancha.

Mr Mellor grew to become the topic of public ridicule when, in an try and show household unity after the scandal broke, he posed together with his spouse, youngsters and dad and mom exterior his dwelling.

The politician’s liaisons with Ms de Sancha had taken place in a rented flat in London’s Earl’s Court.

Mr Mellor would sleep there on a crumpled mattress, surrounded by half-empty champagne and brandy bottles.

In a tape-recorded dialog, Mr Mellor was heard telling his lover: ‘You have completely exhausted me. I really feel significantly knackered… I do not assume I might have slept for greater than an hour.’

Claims that Mr Mellor had been amorous whereas sporting a Chelsea FC shirt additional titillated the public however had been later revealed to have been fabricated by Ms De Sancha’s PR man Max Clifford, who went on to be jailed for sexual offences.

Before his affair emerged, Mr Mellor had appeared to assist draconian new regulation of the Press.

Ms de Sancha later took half in TV documentary The Mistress, grew to become an agony aunt for Erotic Review journal and imported textiles, rugs and jewelry from India. 

She later admitted that the pleasure with being with Mr Mellor stemmed from the reality that he was ‘in a peak place of power’. 

Paddy Ashdown’s affair with secretary Patricia Howard

In the run-up to the 1992 election, when the Liberal Democrats ought to have been focusing on gaining as many seats as attainable, their chief Paddy Ashdown was preoccupied.

For he was about to confess that he had had a short-lived affair together with his secretary Patricia Howard.

The revelations had been reported by The Sun newspaper beneath the headline ‘Paddy Pantsdown’, which Lord Ashdown described as ‘dreadful, however good’.

Ashdown broke the story himself after a memo detailing his affair was stolen from his solicitors and given to the Press. 

Lord Ashdown, who died in 2018, survived the media storm and didn’t resign as the chief of his get together. His spouse Jane additionally forgave him.

He turned the Liberal Democrats right into a political pressure that couldn’t be ignored in the late 1990s. 

Following the affair scandal, he modified the message on his answering machine to ‘Hello, this is Paddy Ashdown. Please depart a message after the excessive ethical tone.’  

Cecil Parkinson’s affair and lovechild with Sara Keays

In 1983, Cabinet minister Cecil Parkinson was compelled to resign from his place as commerce and trade secretary when it emerged that he was having an affair together with his secretary Sara Keays.

Ms Keays was pregnant together with his youngster, Flora, who grew up with extreme epilepsy. 

Parkinson, who had three youngsters together with his spouse Anne, had a 12-year relationship with Ms Keays.

He had advised his lover that he would depart his spouse however then reneged on the determination. 

Although Parkinson’s political profession recovered when he returned to Margaret Thatcher’s cupboard in 1987, he refused to have any relationship together with his daughter and by no means even met her.

In an try and treatment her epilepsy, Flora had a five-hour mind operation when she was four-and-a-half, however it left her with critical social and studying difficulties.

In 1993, Parkinson secured an injunction that prevented the press and even Ms Keays herself from discussing Flora’s life in public till she turned 18. 

Until his loss of life in 2016, Lord Parkinson made provision for Flora of £20,000 a 12 months however it later emerged that she didn’t profit from his £1.14million will. 

Ms Keays, who is now aged, has spent a long time caring for her daughter and has had to deal with vital monetary hardship.  

Matt Hancock’s affair with aide Gina Coladangelo

In June 2021, then Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s profession got here crashing down when CCTV footage was revealed displaying him passionately kissing his aide, Gina Coladangelo, inside his workplace.

It emerged that the pair, who had been each married and had recognized one another since assembly at college, had been engaged in an affair.

At the time, as a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic, indoor gatherings of two or extra folks had been banned and steerage instructed folks to stay at the very least one metre other than each other. 

Father-of-three Mr Hancock later cut up together with his spouse of 15 years and stays in a relationship with Ms Coladangelo.

He tried to carry on to his job however subsequently resigned and later stop as an MP. 

Mr Hancock advised Stephen Bartlett’s Diary of a CEO podcast that he broke the covid steerage as a result of he ‘fell in love with anyone.’

Churchill’s non-public secretary and the mom of Justin Welby

In 2016 Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby found that his actual father was Sir Anthony Montague Brown, the non-public secretary of Sir Winston Churchill.

His mom, Lady Jane Williams had a short relationship with the aide shortly earlier than her marriage to Gavin Welby, the man who the Archbishop had grown up believing was his father.

Lady Williams, who labored as a secretary for Churchill, gave beginning 9 months after she bought married. 

A DNA check utilizing a swab from Archbishop Welby’s mouth and samples from Montague Browne’s hairbrush confirmed a 99.9779 chance that the pair had been father and son.  

Lady Williams, who died final 12 months, issued an announcement saying the information had come as an ‘nearly unbelievable shock’, admitting the liaison was ‘fuelled by a big quantity of alcohol’. 

‘It seems that the precautions taken at the time did not work and my great son was conceived consequently of this liaison,’ she added.

The information emerged after a check utilizing a swab from the Archbishop’s mouth matched with samples from Montague Brown’s outdated hairbrush.

The outcomes confirmed a 99.9779 per cent chance that the pair had been father and son. 

David Lloyd George’s 30-year affair together with his non-public secretary

David Lloyd George, who served as prime minister from 1916 till 1922, had a 30-year affair together with his non-public secretary, Frances Stevenson.

Ms Stevenson gave beginning to daughter Jennifer in 1929, however it stays a thriller as as to whether Lloyd George was her father.  

However, in non-public, he was affectionate to the teenager, as photos of him along with her that emerged on the market in 2017 confirmed.

To shield Lloyd George’s political profession, Ms Stevenson went to the lengths of placing her daughter up for adoption, earlier than promptly adopting her again. 

Ms Stevenson was additionally having an affair with military officer Colonel Thomas Tweed, who additionally labored in Lloyd George’s workplace. He might additionally have been Jennifer’s father. 

Lloyd George later married Ms Stevenson after the loss of life of his first spouse – who he had 5 youngsters with – in 1941.

Before settling down with Ms Stevenson, Lloyd George had quite a few affairs, including with the wives of fellow Liberal MPs.