Former chancellor George Osborne’s wedding to Thea Rogers, his former aide, was disrupted by a protester who threw orange confetti over the couple as they left the church in Somerset on Saturday. The protester, who was dressed in a floral dress and carried a union jack bag, was chased away by a security guard after emptying the bag of confetti over the newlyweds. The incident was captured on video and shared on social media by environmental group Just Stop Oil, who have used orange powder in their previous protests against fossil fuels. However, the group denied responsibility for the protest and said they did not know the identity of the woman. They also congratulated the couple and urged them to join their campaign to stop new oil and gas projects in the UK.
The wedding, which was attended by about 200 guests, including former prime minister David Cameron, levelling up secretary Michael Gove, and shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper, came after an anonymous email was sent to some of the invitees and journalists earlier in the week, making unsubstantiated claims about Osborne’s private life. Osborne reportedly contacted the police to investigate the alleged online harassment.
Osborne, 52, and Rogers, 40, have two sons together and announced their engagement in April 2021. They began dating in 2019 after Osborne divorced his first wife Frances, with whom he has two children. Rogers worked as Osborne’s adviser during his time at the Treasury and was awarded an OBE for her work in 2016.