Peter Bone: MP who warned gays would destroy marriage leaves wife for woman 20 years younger
Conservative MP, Peter Bone, addresses the audience during the launch of the “Grassroots Out”, a new cross-party group that will campaign for the UK to leave the European Union, in the Kettering Conference Centre in Kettering, north of London, on January 23, 2016. An in-or-out referendum on Britain’s membership of the bloc will be held by the end of 2017, with British Prime Minister David Cameron hoping to strike a deal on renegotiating Britain’s ties, before campaigning to stay in the union. AFP PHOTO / LEON NEAL / AFP / LEON NEAL (Photo credit should read LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images)
A high-profile Conservative MP who warned gay couples would undermine the sanctity of marriage has left his wife for a younger woman.
Peter Bone, 65, says he has been living apart from his wife for more than two years, despite frequently referencing “Mrs Bone” in parliamentary debates.
Mr Bone is now said to be in a relationship with 45-year-old physiotherapist Helen Harrison.
The pair reportedly bonded while working on anti-EU campaign Grassroots Out – but it turned out to not just be Europe Mr Bone ended up leaving.
Peter Bone MP (UK Parliament)
The right-wing politician has called marriage equality “completely nuts” and previously argued for a national referendum on marriage, as he believed most Britons were against the idea.
Commenting on his marriage, the MP for Wellingborough, Northants, told The Sun: “My wife and I have been living apart for more than two years, during which time I have formed a relationship with Helen Harrison.
“Neither Helen nor I intend to make any further comment about this matter.”
According to the newspaper his new partner has been regularly using his £1.5m taxpayer funded London home.
Peter Bone (L) and Tom Pursglove MP (2L) join Nigel Farage (2R) at the launch of Grassroots Out (Photo Getty Images)
The parliamentary register of MPs’ secretaries and research assistants states that Mr Bone sponsors a security pass for a “Helen Harrison”, who is listed as a district councillor for East Northants Council.
Meanwhile Jenny Bone – or Mrs Bone as she’s often referred to in parliament – is said to still work as his constituency office manager on a salary of £45,000.
Since being elected in 2005, Mr Bone has consistently voted against LGBT rights and been a vocal opponent to equality measures.
In a BBC Newsnight debate he claimed that two men or two woman cannot marry because “an apple is not a pear”.
As well as voting against same-sex marriage at every stage, he also opposed the Equality Act in 2007.
In 2016 he called for the BBC censor a show about transgender kids.
The CBBC programme, Just A Girl, told the story of 11-year-old Amy on her journey to get hormone control and begin her transition.
Mr Bone said of the kids’ show: “It beggars belief that the BBC is making this programme freely available to children as young as six. I entirely share the anger of parents who just want to let children be children.
“It is completely inappropriate for such material to be on the CBBC website and I shall be writing to BBC bosses to demand they take it down as soon as possible.”
