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Major admits to extramarital affair in 1980s

The affair took place when both were serving as ministers in Margaret Thatcher's government, a report in The Times of London said on Saturday.

Major began his liaison with Currie in 1984 when she was a backbencher and he a government whip. The brief affair ended in early 1988 after his swift promotion through the ranks to the Cabinet as chief secretary of the treasury, the paper said.

Currie, who later became health minister in the Thatcher administration, claimed that their friendship continued and her love for Major persisted even after he became prime minister.

She disclosed this in diaries and an interview published by the paper.

The paper quoted Major as saying that his affair with Currie was the most shameful event of his life. "Norma [his wife] had known of this matter for many years and has long forgiven me. It is the one event in my life of which I am most ashamed and I have long feared it would be made public. Neither Norma nor I have any further comment," he said in a statement.

Major's government was badly damaged by a string of sexual scandals involving his ministers after his ill-fated "back to basics" call for traditional morality.

Although Major initially tried to stand by colleagues such as David Mellor when their affairs were exposed, he later adopted a policy of demanding their immediate resignations.

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