Philip May

Philip May
Born	1957 Norwich, England
Occupation	Investment professional
Known for	Spouse of Theresa May, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Sir Philip John May (born 1957) is a British investment professional.

He is married to Theresa May, Baroness May of Maidenhead, who held the office of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom between 2016 and 2019.

Early life

Born in Norwich in 1957, May’s father was employed as a sales representative within the shoe wholesale industry, while his mother taught French. He was raised on the Wirral Peninsula and attended schools in Heswall before moving on to Calday Grange Grammar School located in West Kirby. May pursued history at Lincoln College, Oxford, where he was elected President of the Oxford Union in 1979, succeeding future Conservative MP Sir Alan Duncan and preceding journalist Michael Crick in that role.

Financial career

Since completing his studies at Oxford University, May has built a career in finance. In 2005, he became a relationship manager at Capital Group, following previous roles as a fund manager with firms including de Zoete & Bevan, Prudential Portfolio Managers, and Deutsche Asset Management. His LinkedIn profile emphasizes his specialization in managing relationships with pension funds and insurance clients.

Described by a colleague to The Guardian as someone who keeps a low profile, May contrasts with the typical stereotype of an investment manager exhibiting a large ego.

When his wife, Theresa May, emerged as the uncontested candidate during the 2016 Conservative Party leadership election, his employer clarified that he did not participate in investment decision-making: "[May] does not manage funds or portfolios. His responsibilities center on client satisfaction and understanding their objectives."

Involvement in politics

Before dedicating himself fully to finance, May briefly served as chair of the Conservative Party association for Wimbledon. He has remained an active supporter of the Conservative Party and was characterized as an "experienced Conservative activist." In 2016, he was named in the Panama Papers.

Although he did not attend official governmental meetings, some viewed him as the Prime Minister’s "most trusted adviser," playing a role in significant decisions such as calling the 2017 snap general election and shaping the 2016 Conservative Party Conference speech. He also engaged in canvassing during the 2017 Copeland by-election and assisted his wife with constituency matters in Maidenhead.

May’s first formal appearance accompanying the British Prime Minister was at the G20 summit held in July 2017, where he took part in events alongside spouses of other global leaders.

In January 2019, The Sunday Times reported allegations from Theresa May’s chief of staff that Philip May hindered attempts to propose a permanent customs union with Labour to facilitate passing the Brexit withdrawal agreement. He was said to have encouraged his wife to push for removal of the Irish backstop to secure backing from both the DUP and Brexiteer MPs.

In July 2020, May received a knighthood as part of Boris Johnson’s delayed 2019 Dissolution Honours, with the formal investiture conducted by the Prince of Wales in October 2021.

Personal life

Philip May encountered his future wife, Theresa Brasier, during their undergraduate studies at Oxford, introduced by Benazir Bhutto at a Conservative student gathering. Theresa attributes Malcolm Turnbull, who would later become Australia's Prime Minister, with motivating Philip to propose. United by their shared interest in cricket, they wed on 6 September 1980, with the ceremony conducted by Theresa's father, Hubert Brasier.

During Philip's tenure as the Prime Minister's spouse, he generally refrained from giving interviews but appeared alongside Theresa on BBC One's The One Show prior to the 2017 general election. Theresa spoke openly about their sorrow over being unable to have children for health reasons, expressing: "You observe families often and sense something missing that you don’t possess." She also discussed their domestic dynamics, mentioning: "I decide when the bins are taken out—not if," and that she typically manages "the traditional male household tasks." When questioned about the difficulties of being married to the Prime Minister, Philip described it as an honor and remarked: "If a man expects his tea to be ready at six every evening, he might end up disappointed."