Get ready for our Sam missile, David Cameron tells UK

Published on Thursday 11 March 2010 21:35

DAVID Cameron has told Britain to "get ready" for his wife, Samantha, as she prepares to adopt an increasingly prominent role in the Conservatives' general election campaign.

• Samantha Cameron, pictured above with her husband, is to take a more prominent public role as the general election approaches. Picture: PA

Having long been reluctant to play the political spouse, the Tory leader's wife will give her first public interview this weekend and is expected to make several public appearances over the coming weeks.

Mr Cameron said his wife wanted to "get out there" to support his bid to become prime minister, telling him over breakfast: "I'm right behind you."

Mrs Cameron has spoken at length to Sir Trevor McDonald for a programme about her husband to be shown on ITV this Sunday.

The broadcast is designed to introduce the 38-year-old to the nation, as the Tories' "social action champion", drawing attention to groups of volunteers who improve their communities.

While Mrs Cameron has often appeared by her husband's side for photographs, she has never spoken publicly before.

Her low media profile sits in stark contrast to Gordon Brown's wife, Sarah, who has increased her public appearances significantly in recent years, most notably with speeches introducing the Prime Minister at the last two annual Labour conferences.

She has also become a prolific user of the social media site Twitter, through which she publicises the charities she represents.

Last September, when Mr Brown was facing intense pressure over his leadership, she hailed him as her "hero".

On Sunday's programme, Mrs Cameron endeavours to convey the strength of her 14-year marriage, saying: "I can honestly say that I don't think in all that time he's ever let me down."

Mr Cameron has already confirmed that his wife will continue with her work as creative director with upmarket stationers Smythson if they move to 10 Downing Street after a Tory victory in the election expected on 6 May.

But in an interview for ITV1's Alan Titchmarsh Show on Wednesday, he made clear she was prepared to bolster his campaign. He said: "She said to me the other day when we were having breakfast, 'I know I work hard and I have my own business, but I want you to do this, I want you to win. I'm right behind you. Tell me what I can do to help. I want to get out there'. You are going to see a lot more of her on the campaign trail, so Britain, get ready."

Mrs Cameron took time off work to campaign for her husband in the 1997 general election, when he failed to win Stafford for the Tories, and she has frequently joined him on stage following major speeches.

Mr Cameron said: "She is an amazing woman. She is a very successful career woman. She has helped transform this great British business … She has been a brilliant mother to our children."

He said Mrs Cameron did not enjoy joining him on stage at the Conservative conference, and sometimes their attempts to kiss for the cameras did not quite work out.

The extent to which Mrs Cameron is prepared to come to her husband's side was questioned earlier this week when Ed Vaizey, a Conservative front-bencher close to the Camerons, suggested that Mrs Cameron might once have voted Labour and could consider doing so again. However, the claim was denied, and the MP later retracted his claims.

For some close to events in Westminster, the decision by Mrs Cameron to be interviewed on prime-time television represents a significant U-turn.

"She has always tried to avoid the limelight," said one source. "A few years ago, when Sarah Brown surprised everyone by introducing Gordon on stage, Samantha was asked what she thought. She simply said, 'No way'."

Jonathan Isaby, co-editor of the ConservativeHome website, said yesterday that Mrs Cameron was now fully prepared to up her media profile considerably.

He said: "Mrs Cameron has previously let it be known that she intends to keep working if her husband becomes prime minister, but I gather that during the election campaign we can expect to see her out on the road for about two days a week," he said.

Mr Isaby added that he expected Mrs Cameron to increase her charitable activities by becoming a patron of Tickets for Troops, the charity which offers free tickets for sporting and cultural events.

How they compare

SAMANTHA CAMERON

Age: 38

Born: Samantha Gwendoline Sheffield, 18 April, 1971, London

Nickname: SamCam

Parents: Sir Reginald Sheffield, 8th baronet, and Viscountess Astor

Heritage: Said to be great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-granddaughter of Nell Gwyn, the mistress of Charles II

Education: Marlborough College, Wiltshire; Bristol Polytechnic – degree in fine art

Perception: Upper-class bohemian

Employment: Creative director at upmarket stationers Smythson of Bond Street; previously worked as professional window dresser and interior designer

Friends: At university, befriended rapper Tricky, with whom she played pool, as well as musician and actor Adrian Thaws

Fashion: Opts for colourful, confident outfits that have seen her dubbed the "eclectic executive". Her sister, Emily Sheffield, is deputy editor of British edition of Vogue magazine

Tattoos: A dolphin on her ankle

Met David: When Cameron's younger sister, Clare, then Samantha's best friend, invited her on a family holiday to Tuscany in 1992

Married David: Oxfordshire, 1996

Samantha on David: "I can honestly say that I don't think in all that time he's ever let me down"

David on Samantha: "I know what sustains me the most. She is sitting right there, and I'm incredibly proud to call her my wife"

She says: "I'm a working mum. We have to pay for childcare. I don't have huge amounts of spare cash to spend on designer clothing. I think all working mums are a bit like that"

They say: "She will always say what she thinks, regardless of who's sitting there. She comes from a long line of strong women who were in the right place when the right genes were being handed out" – Jane Churchill, designer and friend

SARAH BROWN

Age: 46

Born: Sarah Macaulay, 31 October, 1963, Buckinghamshire

Nickname: None

Background: The daughter of Iain Macaulay, a Scot who worked for Longman, the publishers, and Pauline, a secretary who retrained as a teacher

Education: Camden High School for Girls; Bristol University – degree in psychology

Perception: The nation's First Mum

Employment: Patron of several charities and author; previously PR executive at Hobsbawm Macaulay Communications, which she co-founded; also worked at brand consultancy Wolff Olins

Former partners: Former pop star Babel Wallace, Falklands veteran Ken Lukowiak

Fashion: Favours a classic, elegant style. She likes M&S and New Look, and her favourite designers include Amanda Wakeley

Charities: Has repositioned herself as a champion of women's issues, children's rights and health

Social media: More than 1,118,000 follow her Twitter updates at SarahBrown10

Met Gordon: On flight from London to Scotland for Scottish Labour Party conference, 1994

Married Gordon: North Queensferry, 2000

Sarah on Gordon: "My husband, my hero"

Gordon on Sarah: "She is my hero. No doubt about it – her beauty and her quiet dignified way of dealing with every challenge that we face"

She says: "People always assume that we have a lot of help, but even though much of our life takes place in extraordinary circumstances, it is also important for us to remain an ordinary family with privacy and time together"

They say: "I can't think of a more quietly supportive person than Sarah. She's amazingly anchored. She has a low centre of gravity. It would take a lot to shove her off balance" – Kathy Lette, novelist and friend

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