NICOLA Sturgeon and her husband Peter Murrell have been ranked second on a list of “Britain’s political power couples”.
Published to coincide with Valentine’s Day, the list from Politico offers a “peek at the political love matches running Britain”.
The couple ranked top was Labour shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves and her partner Nicholas Joicey who is a high-ranking civil servant in the Cabinet Office.
With Reeves looking set to enter No 11 after the next General Election, and Joicey the director general of the Economic and Domestic Affairs Secretariat (EDS), which co-ordinates the government’s domestic policy across departments, Politico says of the pair: “No couple matters more in British politics right now.”
Second only to them is Sturgeon and her partner Murrell, who serves as chief executive of the SNP.
The outlet remarks: “When it comes to making the political weather these two are never far from the story. Their push for Scottish independence has caused a massive headache for successive prime ministers over the last decade.”
The only other SNP figure to make the list is Glasgow East MP David Linden, alongside Labour MP for Lancaster and Fleetwood Cat Smith.
Cited as an example of “love across the political divide”, Politico says of the pairing: “With the prospect of some sort of SNP / Labour coalition surely still possible after the next election (despite the endless denials), this is a power pairing to watch in the months to come.”
Other recognisable names on the list are disgraced former prime minister Boris Johnson and his third wife Carrie, and Rishi Sunak’s close friend James Forsyth and his wife Allegra Stratton – who hit the headlines after tearfully resigning as Johnson’s press secretary amid the partygate scandal.
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There are multiple other Westminster lobby journalists on the list. Pippa Crerar, now the Guardian’s political editor, is listed alongside her partner Tom Whitehead, who works in comms for the foreign office. And Times political editor Steven Swinford is listed alongside his partner, Home Office director of crime reduction Sarah Swinford.
Political editor of the Sun on Sunday Kate Ferguson is also listed alongside her partner, Tory MP and minister Richard Holden.
Former chief Brexit negotiator turned Tory peer David Frost also makes the list alongside his partner Harriet Mathews, a deputy political director of the foreign office.
You can read the full rundown from Politico here.
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