George Osborne is dating his former chief of staff who helped reshape his image when he was chancellor, we learned.
Osborne said he was in touch with the partially French French Thea Rogers, 38, who was one of his closest advisers when he was in government.
He had developed a relationship with Mrs. Rogers, who graduated from Oxford University in 2003, “in the past year,” he said.
The former chancellor announced last summer that he had separated from his wife Frances, 51, mother of two children. They have since divorced.
In a large interview with The Times, Osborne also said that Britain will have to prepare for austerity after the lifting of the foreclosure.
He warned that the country was entering a “huge huge recession” due to mass economic inactivity since the order to “stay at home” was issued in March.
The current publisher of the Evening Standard said that Boris Johnson is expected to announce a public inquiry into how its government has handled the coronavirus crisis.
He also suggested that politicians should “treat the public like adults,” adding, “I would be surprised if all the cabinet members were still there in a year.”
George Osborne (right) goes out with his former chief of staff, Thea Rogers (left), who helped revise his image when he was chancellor
Osborne (right) said he was in touch with the French side Thea Rogers (left), in his thirties, who was his special adviser while in government
Crossing various subjects, the former chancellor also described how he had danced with the Hollywood actress Jennifer Lawrence during an Oscar party at the popstar Madonna.
In the bizarre revelation, Mr. Osborne described the movie icon as “normal size”.
Speaking of his relationship with Ms. Rogers, strategy and communications manager at Deliveroo, Mr. Osborne, 49, said, “I have probably never been happier in my life.”
After obtaining an undergraduate degree from Oxford University in modern languages and philosophy, Ms. Rogers worked at the BBC and progressed to become a principal political producer before joining government in 2012.
She was hired as a political advisor by Mr. Osborne, responsible for improving her image. With Seth Cummings, Robert Rinder’s ex-husband, she “ metrosexualized ” the Chancellor of Austerity by recommending a short haircut and a new wardrobe. They also suggested that he loses weight through the 5: 2 diet, which involves fasting two days a week.
Mrs Rogers was promoted to Mr Osborne’s chief of staff and received a 42% salary increase to £ 98,000 after the Conservative party won the 2015 elections.
She went out with Ameetpal Gill, editor-in-chief of David Cameron who became director of strategy, and James Purnell, the former minister of the Cabinet of Labor.
Ms. Rogers was implicated consecutively in 2007, when Mr. Purnell must have wondered if he had broken the ministerial code by using his state car to take him to meetings.
She is said to be a close friend of Sir Craig Oliver, Mr. Cameron’s closest collaborator.
Before working for Newsnight and Nick Robinson for the BBC, Ms. Rogers participated in the Labor re-election campaign in 2005.
Osborne also shared how he danced with Jennifer Lawrence at an Oscar party, saying, “ You know how movie stars are very often perfect and petite? Jennifer Lawrence looks normal. Well, not of normal appearance – she is very beautiful – but of normal size.
Osborne, who is now the editor of the Evening Standard, announced last summer that he had separated from his wife Frances, 51, who is the mother of two children.
Osborne paid tribute to Ms. Rogers for helping to change her image during her tenure in government with a shortened “ Caesar ” haircut and a new wardrobe (photo, July 2015)
In a more serious tone, he told The Times that the government will need to balance health and economic risks as Britain enters a recession.
The former chancellor, who was sacked by Theresa May when she became Prime Minister after the EU referendum in 2016, warned: “ Keep everyone inside and the whole country will go bankrupt. No one will work, children will not be educated.
“You may have a Nobel Prize in medicine and not know the answer. And so, “Go where science leads” is a misnomer, a red herring.
“Ultimately, politics is just a word we use to describe how we compromise and how we try to balance interests.”
He said: “ From my experience in government, at the highest post of chancellor but also of photocopier at Downing Street in the early 1990s, politicians must lead and plan and treat the public like adults.
“When they don’t, it goes wrong … If you send people back to school, back at work, there will be more infections.
“But if we don’t, people will have real economic hardship. Life expectancy will be less. People will not get cancer treatment. ”
Osborne said that “following the science” is “red herring” and that politicians must balance the risk posed by Covid-19 against the economic risk.
Osborne also warned that Britain will have to prepare for austerity after the lock is lifted as the country goes into recession (photo by Ms. Rogers, 2015)
Osborne, currently editor of the Evening Standard, said Boris Johnson should announce a public inquiry into his government’s management of the coronavirus crisis
He suggested that Mr. Johnson “allow (the public) common sense,” explaining, “They know how to protect themselves and their families.
“The public is ahead of the government. Right next to where we have this interview, there is a garden center that has been open for weeks in a perfectly safe manner.
Osborne hinted that the government would be hard pressed to work with the Labor party now that the party is led by Sir Keir Starmer, who succeeded Jeremy Corbyn in April.
“We have real serious opposition, a very credible Labor leader,” he said.
‘The clue is in the title: Sir Keir Starmer QC. You can’t say, “He’s a threat to our security,” or “He’s a fool,” or “He’s not patriotic.” You cannot say any of these things.
He added that Mr. Corby made it “pathetically easy” for the Conservatives.
Osborne also rushed to defend Neil Ferguson, the professor at Imperial College considered the architect of British foreclosure policy.
He called his resignation and that of the chief medical officer of Scotland, Dr. Catherine Calderwood, “completely ridiculous.”
“ In the midst of the biggest crisis to engulf the country, here is the professor with what seems to be the most precise model in the world, and he has to resign because of what he does in his private life? Completely ridiculous, “he said.
“In government, I would like the best people, the best advice.”
He also refused to rule out a return to frontline politics, saying, “I think second acts are difficult in British politics, but that doesn’t mean they never happen.
“And that also doesn’t mean that you can’t do things in the public interest outside the House of Commons.” I did not choose to just disappear from view.
It comes after Mr. Osborne warned that there will be “tough choices” for the government as it seeks to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
The National Statistics Office (ONS) said borrowing was £ 51.1 billion higher in the same month last year, the highest monthly figure ever
The sum is believed to have pushed total public debt to the brink of 2 billion pounds for the first time – roughly the same size as the economy as a whole
MailOnline said the government had borrowed nearly £ 63 billion in the 12 months to late March to keep the economy alive.
The fascinating figure was the highest of any month ever and more than double analysts’ forecasts. This means that the government borrowed almost as much in April alone as it did in the last fiscal year.
This is believed to have pushed total public debt to the brink of 2 billion pounds for the first time – roughly the same size as the economy as a whole.
But Conservative MPs insisted that no one should rush to pay off the huge responsibilities, suggesting that it should be treated like a “war” and allowed to go away for decades.
Commenting on the numbers, Osborne told BBC Radio 4 Today: “These numbers are striking, but they are not a surprise.
“And of course, they reflect the fact that there is a lot of urgent, one-time spending – rightly so, on things like the leave plan and small business loans.”
Mr Osborne continued: “We have to accept the fact that Britain, like all other countries, is poorer than we thought and that our economy is smaller than we thought.
“And I fear it will lead to tough choices about what we can afford, how much we want to spend and how much tax we want to raise to pay.”