"Philip May is known in politics as a man who has taken a back seat and allowed his wife, Theresa, to shine." Allowed. Now let us reverse it. Theresa May has allowed her husband to shine. Does it make sense? If Philip May were prime minister, perhaps we might hear that his wife had "supported" him from the background, or that she was "behind" him, or that she'd "stood by his side," but we would never hear that she had "allowed" him to shine. "Allow" is a troubling word. "Allow" is about power."