Marie-France van Heel looks set to be a very different type of prime minister’s wife

Andy Burnham’s partner is expected to play a big role in promoting UK and could be the most influential PM’s spouse in years

Sarah Brown called Gordon her hero, Samantha Cameron insisted David was “incredibly funny”, while Akshata Murty said Rishi was her best friend. When Marie-France van Heel spoke about her husband, Andy Burnham, in a rare public interview a decade ago, she joked that she had noticed his “good looks … and monobrow”.

The spousal humanising of a party leader is a well-worn political tool, but van Heel looks set to be a very different type of prime ministerial partner. The former senior marketing executive now looks set to play a more significant role in promoting Britain than any other spouse in the last two decades, stepping up her political engagements after stepping back from her own corporate career.

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