Philip May

Sir Philip John May, born in 1957, is an English investment manager. He is known for being the spouse of Theresa May, Baroness May of Maidenhead, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2016 to 2019.

Early Life:

Philip May was born in Norwich in 1957. His father worked as a sales representative for a shoe wholesaler, and his mother was a French teacher. He was raised on the Wirral Peninsula, attending schools in Heswall and later Calday Grange Grammar School located in West Kirby. For higher education, May studied history at Lincoln College, Oxford University. During his time at Oxford, he was elected President of the Oxford Union in 1979, succeeding future Conservative Member of Parliament Sir Alan Duncan and later passing the role to journalist Michael Crick.

Financial Career:

After graduating from Oxford, May pursued a career in finance. His work history includes positions at de Zoete & Bevan, Prudential Portfolio Managers, and Deutsche Asset Management, primarily focusing on fund management and investment. In 2005, May joined the Capital Group as a relationship manager, overseeing pension fund and insurance relationships. His professional profile indicates a focus on client relationship management rather than direct investment decision-making. A colleague described him as a reserved individual, contrasting with stereotypical portrayals of investment managers. During Theresa May’s rise as a Conservative Party leadership candidate, his employer issued a statement clarifying that Philip May was not involved in investment decisions or portfolio management and was focused on client service.

Involvement in Politics:

May held a brief position as chairman of the Conservative Party’s Wimbledon constituency association but chose to focus on his career in finance thereafter. Despite this, he remained an active supporter of the Conservative Party and has been characterized as an experienced activist. He was identified in the Panama Papers in 2016, though there is no indication that he held any official political role. Although he did not officially advise Theresa May as Prime Minister, he was considered a trusted confidant, particularly contributing to her decision-making on political strategies such as calling the 2017 general election and shaping her 2016 Conservative Party Conference speech. He participated in canvassing efforts for the 2017 Copeland by-election and supported his wife in constituency matters for Maidenhead.

Official Engagements:

Philip May’s first official visit abroad as the Prime Minister’s spouse took place during the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, in July 2017. There, he attended cultural events and social gatherings with other world leaders’ spouses.

Controversies and Honors:

In January 2019, a Sunday Times report alleged that Theresa May’s chief of staff publicly accused Philip May of disrupting plans for a permanent UK-EU customs union to facilitate the ratification of the Brexit withdrawal agreement. It was suggested that May advised his wife to pursue changes to the deal, specifically urging removal of the Irish backstop to secure parliamentary approval. In July 2020, Philip May was knighted in Boris Johnson’s 2019 Dissolution Honours list and received the formal accolade from the Prince of Wales in October 2021.

Personal Life:

Philip May met Theresa Brasier while they were students at Oxford University. Their introduction was arranged by Benazir Bhutto at a Conservative Party student event. Theresa May has credited Malcolm Turnbull, the future Australian Prime Minister, for encouraging Philip May to propose marriage. The couple married on 6 September 1980, officiated by Theresa’s father, Hubert Brasier.

As the spouse of the Prime Minister, May generally maintained a low public profile, rarely giving interviews or making public statements. However, he appeared with Theresa May in a joint interview on BBC One’s The One Show prior to the 2017 general election. During the interview, Theresa May disclosed that health issues prevented them from having children. She also described her role in everyday household chores, such as taking out the bins, and remarked that being married to the Prime Minister was a privilege, adding that traditional "boy jobs" fell to him.