Prime Ministers, Heswall and husbands: Sir Philip May and Hugh O’Leary

Any historian researching the life stories of British Prime Ministers will notice that Heswall features at least twice - having nurtured two First Gentlemen.

NB: If the wife of an American President is the First Lady, then it seems sensible that the husband of a PM should be the First Gentleman. Occasionally the term 'First Man' is used, but this tends to sound like lunar astronaut Neil Armstrong and, while being the PM's partner is no doubt important, it is not quite the same as being the first human being to set foot on another world.

Perhaps the correct word is 'consort', but anyway…

During the Conservative leadership battle, Liz Truss' husband, Hugh O'Leary, kept a low profile. Born in 1974 in Liverpool, his family moved to Heswall when he was a child. Talking to The Times, a neighbour of the O'Learys recalled that Hugh was "very earnest and very quiet but a lovely boy".

Having studied mathematical economics at the London School of Economics, Mr O'Leary became an accountant. In 1997, at the Conservative Party Conference in Blackpool, he met his future wife, and future PM, Liz Truss.

In an interview with You Magazine three years ago, Liz reminisced about how dating got off to a painful start, saying she "invited him ice skating and he sprained his ankle".

Nevertheless, the romance progressed and the couple married in 2000. They now have two teenage daughters.

In 2006, the couple experienced a tough patch when an affair between Ms Truss and fellow Conservative Mark Field came to light.

Later, this triggered an attempt by local party members to remove her when she was selected as the candidate for the constituency of South West Norfolk.

In response, Ms Truss said: "I am really sorry about that [affair]. It's a mistake I made and as far as me and my husband are concerned, it's water under the bridge."

Reflecting on the incident in 2019, she said: "It was a baptism of fire. It was difficult but…I was so determined to stay selected and I wasn't going to let… you know, I worked really, really hard and I won that selection fair and square.

"And, actually, even though it was a really unpleasant thing to go through, it made me stronger afterwards because I had to have that fight."

Asked if it made her marriage stronger she replied: "I think that's a separate thing. But I am really happily married."

Theresa and Philip May during the 2017 election

Theresa May, Prime Minister between 2016 and 2019, is married to Sir Philip May, who, like Hugh O'Leary, moved to Heswall as a child having been born in Norwich in 1957.

He attended Heswall Primary School, before going to Calday Grange Grammar in West Kirby. From there it was off to Oxford to read History, and thereafter a long career in finance. The May family lived on Downham Road North for 16 years.

As the PM's husband, Philip May avoided the glare of the media by avoiding interviews or making public statements, but did appear with his wife on the BBC's early evening The One Show. There was a touching moment when Theresa May revealed the sadness caused by being unable to have children. She said: "You look at families all the time and you see there is something there that you don't have."

Asked about any downsides to being the spouse of a PM, Sir Philip described his status as a privilege, but added: "If you're the kind of man who expects his tea to be on the table at six o'clock every evening, you could be a disappointed man."

One upside of marriage to a PM is that it adds you to the list of 'Notable People from Heswall'. A quick search sees the names Hugh O'Leary and Philip May alongside such local luminaries as Ian Astbury, front man of The Cult, Ian Botham, Andy McCluskey of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Fiona Bruce - and Jim Bowen.