Theresa May wanted to be Prime Minister while serving under David Cameron, her husband reveals

The PM said she'd wanted to be a politician since she was at school

Theresa May appeared on The One Show with her husband, Philip (BBC)

Theresa May had already privately told her family that she wanted to become Prime Minister while she was serving in David Cameron’s cabinet, it has been revealed.

In a joint interview with her husband Philip May, the Prime Minister said she had wanted to become a politician since she was in school.

But Mr May also revealed that she had told him she wanted to be PM while she was “well established in the shadow cabinet” – at least six years before she actually became Prime Minister.

Ms May entered the shadow cabinet 18 years ago in 1999 when she was appointed shadow education and employment secretary. She left the shadow cabinet in 2010 when she joined the Government.

The revelation casts a new light on Ms May’s actions while she was Home Secretary in the Cameron government – and even before that.

The MP for Maidenhead arguably first came to major public prominence in 2002 when she warned that the Tories were considered “the nasty party” by many voters.

Ms May was criticised for taking a low profile during the EU referendum campaign – backing Remain but failing to campaign too publicly for the result.

The PM told The One Show: “I’d wanted to become an MP from quite an early age. From when I was at school I wanted to become an MP.”

The Prime Minister dismissed the suggestion that her campaign - focused very heavily on her personally - was "presidential".

She said: "It is about the Conservative Party, it's about a team in the Conservative Party and obviously I'm the leader of that party, the leader of that team."

The interview also touched on Ms May’s marriage.

Asked what the downsides of being married to the PM are, Mr May said: "If you're the kind of man who expects his tea to be on the table at six o'clock every evening, you could be a disappointed man."