INSIDE THE MIND OF A PM UNDER SIEGE
As Theresa May fights for her political life, her biographer ROSA PRINCE reveals the qualities that fortify her amid the drama of a crisis
and Boris Johnson did, however: her thrice-weekly exercise sessions are conducted behind closed doors.
Both Theresa and Philip May are keen hikers. They have so far maintained their custom of walking in the Alps each summer although she recently complained shorter hiking weekends have had to be curtailed.
Their trips to the theatre, cricket and horse-racing have also been put on hold.
Diet and healthy eating are important factors in controlling May’s diabetes, a necessary requirement when dealing with such a potentially debilitating condition. Gone are the deserts she used to make herself.
But food remains important, despite the restraints. A keen chef, she boasts of owning more than 200 cook books and has made Italian cuisine something of a speciality. She enjoys hosting dinner parties, both in Sonning and now at Chequers, the PM’s country retreat. Her Sunday roasts are praised although guests admit the conversation is somewhat stilted.
The days when Samantha Cameron held a rave at Chequers to celebrate her birthday are long gone. Instead, the Mays are described as pleasant, friendly company. Not scintillating conversationalists but warmer and less guarded than in public.
During her Home Office days, Cabinet colleagues who found May difficult to deal with suggested she was more genial company during weekend get-togethers.
RELATIONS are less cordial with most of her current Cabinet, however. With Brexit dominating, discussions are said to be free-flowing but no one is in any doubt who is in charge.
When the political meetings are over and the Prime Minister returns to her flat above 11 Downing Street, she and Philip will dine together and share the day’s events over a glass of red wine – or occasionally something stronger. She cooks and he washes up. Perhaps understandably, it’s not always gourmet fare. She recently confessed to beans on toast, accompanied by a scotch.
Unlike Cameron, who was tucked up by 11pm, May prefers to work late. She is usually not asleep until 1am, rising at 6 or 7am – not a full night’s sleep but more than Margaret Thatcher’s three or four hours. The Prime Minister claims to sleep well, untroubled by doubt or conscience. That’s what self-assurance brings you.
So how far can her self-belief take her? Will May still be standing when the battle is over or will she have fallen on the sword marked Brexit? More specifically, what will the Prime Minister do if, as appears likely, she fails to force her deal through Parliament?
One thing is certain: she won’t walk away from the chaos like her predecessor. Theresa May will continue fighting.
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POLITICAL POWER DRESSING
THE leopard-print shoes that Theresa May first wore at the Conservative Party conference of 2002 have become her signature accessory. Winston Churchill had his cigar, Mrs May her kitten heels. She remains a committed shoe-aholic and her favourite stores, including LK Bennett and Hobbs, sometimes close for an hour so she can browse in peace.
When it comes to clothes, she shops at an upmarket boutique, Fluidity, in Henley, near her constituency home in Sonning, Berks. The owner puts aside outfits or sends them to Downing Street for her to try on.
Favoured designers include Amanda Wakeley, Roland Mouret and Vivienne Westwood, and she is fond of bold patterns, tartans and animal prints.
In other ways Mrs May is rather relaxed about her appearance. She has used the same hairdresser, Alan Williamson of The Hair Company in Wargrave, also near Sonning, for more than 20 years. Between visits she styles her hair herself.
Most days she also does her own make-up although professionals are brought in when she has a big television interview.