Mark Field, the former MP for Cities of London and Westminster, has opened up about his affair with Liz Truss, the UK’s shortest-serving prime minister, which he claims led to the breakdown of his marriage. Field’s reflections, detailed in his upcoming book and shared with the Daily Mail, reveal how his life took dramatic turns at the intersection of personal and political ambitions.
The affair began around the time he met Liz Truss, who would go on to lead the Conservative Party for 49 days. Field, now 60, recalls the "first serious signs of cracks" forming in his marriage to Michele as Elizabeth Truss entered his life. Married since 1994, Mark and Michele, who was then working as a director at two stockbroking firms, had drifted apart over the years without discussing having children, which Field later recognized as concerning signs.
Their story traces back to the Conservative Party Conference held at the Highcliff Hotel in Bournemouth during October 2002. Under the "romantic dimmed lights" of the conference, Mark and Liz exchanged words. She was not yet an MP, having just married her husband Hugh O’Leary two years prior. After their brief conversation, Field wished her luck and offered help, stating, "Please get in touch if I can be of any help." The following Monday, he found an email from Truss seeking guidance on selection interview techniques.
Field noted, "Even then, Liz came across as an impulsive bundle of energy, obsessed by the workings and machinations of politics." Their meetings began to multiply, as they frequently lunched and exchanged ideas. The connection deepened amid their professional collaboration; Field later took on the task of drafting the party’s international trade policy when he joined the front bench of the shadow cabinet.
“We worked enthusiastically together on this over several weeks,” he recalled, finding it humorous years later when Liz, as Trade Secretary, continued to use their coined phrase "free and fair trade." The daily interactions soon blossomed, and before long, minimal time would pass without them contacting each other.
Reflecting on their chemistry, he observed, "Her manic energy was intoxic... disconcerting and exhausting. Not to mention at times utterly infuri...". Their interaction evolved beyond friendship, culminating in what he described as "an affair" by the end of 2003. "There is something very unreal in any affair, especially when both parties are married and living with their spouses," he asserted.
Mark admitted periods of guilt and indecision, with Liz attempting periodically to cool the intensity of their relationship. Yet, as he noted, every time she did so, "within a week or so, she would apologetically get back in touch, and we would be carrying on as before." By early 2005, their professional and personal lives diverged, especially when Liz became the Conservative candidate for Calder Valley.
Field traveled to Yorkshire to observe her campaign closely, admiring her determination; Liz's approach was described as "utterly obsessive" toward her political ambitions. Yet, after losing the election by fewer than 1,400 votes, the affair began to stall under the pressures of parliamentary recess and personal commitments.
Mark remarked on the unsettling summer of 2005, as he and Liz found themselves apart for nearly two months due to holidays and overseas delegations. This absence drew clarity for him when Liz conveyed she was staying with her husband. At this moment, he acknowledged, "I knew instantly my own marriage was over. Liz’s marriage, meanwhile, had, and still has, endured."
Following the end of their affair, Field and Truss maintained professional politeness, especially after her successful election for South West Norfolk in 2010 and her ascent within the party. Reflecting on Truss’s rise to Prime Minister following Boris Johnson's resignation, Field noted her limitless ambition and resilience paired with her perception of destiny.
Despite her many admirable traits, Mark critiques Liz’s tenure, stating her ministerial career was marked by "relentlessly talking a good game... but actually delivering next to nothing." He emphasized her lack of practical capacity for leadership and implementation of policies, which he believed were evident during her democratization attempts.
Field's forthcoming book, titled "The End Of An Era," is set to be published on March 27, 2025, exploring not just his affair and its repercussions, but also delving deeply within the intersection of personal failures and political ambitions echoing throughout his and Truss’s intertwining journeys.