AKA: #twow.
Age: Eight days.
Appearance: A glamorous, empowering lifestyle blog.
Dear God, not another one. I’m afraid so. There’s all the usual guff about fitness regimes, luxury bathrooms, self-esteem and £1,500 handbags in among endless mission statements.
Such as? “The Wives of Westminster take a kind-spirited, open-minded, feel-good, nourishing inside and out, service-centric approach to a meaningful life.”
I honestly have no idea what that means. Who are these wives anyway? Well that’s the twist. The #twow founder, Nevena Pavlović Bridgen, is a Serbian opera singer currently on maternity leave with her baby son, and the second wife of Brexit fanatic and Tory MP for North West Leicestershire, Andrew Bridgen.
That’s a pretty weak twist. Ah, but Mrs Bridgen plans to write about what it is like to be a political spouse, to show that “wives of politicians are more than just pretty accessories”. She writes: “Are we free to talk and if we say something unpopular, can we affect our husbands’ political influence and a career? Let’s find out.”
Eek. Subjects she discusses so far include the baby-changing facilities at No 10, and how to shut conversations down when “someone mentions Brexit”.
I wonder who she has in mind? Who knows. Anyway, the Sun reports that she’s eager to get other political other halves involved – even Theresa May’s husband, Philip.
Why would he? Why would any of them? Well, there will be a Tory party leadership contest fairly soon. Conventional wisdom says people are more likely to feel positively towards you if you can prove that your company is bearable to at least one human female.
Truly, a high bar. Who’s made it so far? In the Telegraph’s profile of Jeremy Hunt on Saturday, his wife Lucia was described as “effortlessly charming, photogenic and considerate with diplomats and locals alike”. Apparently Hunt never takes off the watch she gave him.
I can already feel myself liking him 0.03% more. Then the Sunday Times published an interview with Dominic Raab and his Brazilian wife Erika in their home. She would have voted leave, apparently.
So she’s foreign, but she loves Brexit, which makes up for it? I guess that’s the idea.
When will Boris Johnson start doing interviews about his personal life? That might be a long wait.
Don’t say: “Is Andrew Bridgen more likable yet.”
Do say: “The Wives of Westminster project is reaching out for equality.”
