Most politicions have something to hide, Maybe this is how he was blackmailed into selling the UK down the Eu river, our NWO puppet masters only pick flawed stooges to leed us! (The carrot or the stick). Makes you wonder what they have on Blair????

alan, harrogate, yorkshire

Heath was a little before my time but the idea that a self effacing, keen sailor and accomplished pianist as PM would have been as manna from heaven when compared the on-message, sound-bitten sausage meat which now passes for political talent. I would live with the flaws so long the nation could have the brilliance.
If Ted Heath lifted the odd shirt good luck to him, I hope he enjoyed every minute of it! This does not diminish a solid personal and political achievement, even were it to be true.

Jeremy Murphy, cork, Ireland

Its not fair to anyone let alone a former prime minister to repeat this kind of scurrilous gossip.
I remember Ted Heath for doing one good thing- taking the UK into the EEC and one bad thing- destroying the ancient county boundaries of England through a local government reorganisation which lasted all of 5 minutes.

Philip Davies, newcastle, UK

and this is newsworthy?

R Mc Hardy, paris, france

Agreed. This isn't news, folks, this is prurient gossip, whether true or not. The Times should know better.

Carolyn, Oxford,

There are some truly vile and detestable people in this world. It would seem that no depth is too low to plumb for one's political agenda these days.

C Heathcote, Tonbridge,

Whilst this is important people should be focusing on the TREASON committed by this traitor regarding the European Union Super"Police"state takeover.

Craig, Birmingham, W.Mids

Does it really matter? Would we be surprised? Saying all this after he has died is a pretty low blow and does Mr. Coleman little credit. Whatever is said, Sailor Ted did his best for party and country and had qualities of decency and principle that today's party leaders in and out of goiverment would do well to aspire to and adopt.

M Roberts, London, UK

"What does it matter? Unless he was having an affair with or being bribed by a KGB spy it is really of very little consequence.

Paul Owen, Birmingham, UK"

Actualy it does. The press know the activities of huge amounts of celebrities, but choose not to publish. Should the celebrity then get to a position of influence, the situation has changed entirely.

Anyway, as for old Hampstead as he was called, allegedly, it's a moot point. The fortunate thing is that our future prime minister has no skeletons in the closet.

Charles, london,

If you're going to 'speak ill of the dead' at least do it constructively by discussing his political mistakes. After all, that affected us all. Which side of his pants he dressed is neither here nor there, if you catch my drift!!

Anyway, consider this - people who focus on this sort of thing obviously have it very much in their own minds. Belt up & let's get on with things that matter for once.

That's all for now. Qeerio folks!

D.O'Rorke, Farnham, Surrey

I am with GeorgeW, the wording was wonderful, I sent it around the world!

From Cottager to Privy Councillor is a spectacular promotion.

My only direct experience of Heath was whilst stepping across his boat at a very busy mooring at Cowes. His gruff and surly response to this was far from limp-wristed.

JeffB, London,

Brian Coleman is yet again revealing himself as a (very arch) self-publicist. I say this as an out gay man who has been involved in politics; both at local and national levels. The comments serve nothing and no-one whatsoever.

Alan Mead, London, UK

Always the way.... whenever a figure in the public eye doesn't have much of an interest in sexual relations, people assume there's something clandestine going on.

Reuben, London, UK

This really is a terribly tawdy interest as one's sexuality is a completely private matter, provided that it does not include animals, children nor the deceased.

Is it really of any consequence whether the late Ted Heath was straight, gay or bisexual? Sure politcal acument and probity are more important.

Sharon, Belfast, N Ireland

The Times should know better than to print prurient gossip.

Carolyn, Oxford,

Brian Coleman has a typically '50's mindset, over the back garden fence gossiper, a touch of the laced curtained windows nosey parker, charmingly and quaintly English!
who gives a toss what Heath did in his private life, he was a decent Tory though.

David Ellison, Sydney, Australia

Here we go again. Everyone who was anyone in the past was gay if only they had been allowed to let it all out. Tiresome.

Gerry, Clydebank,

What I shall always remember about Ted Heath was his appalling accent when he was trying to speak French. Still, at least he did try.

jean wilcox, romney marsh, kent

My father never let me go to study at the London Scool of Economics
as was my adolescent wish. I ended up in New York because of good old
dad's colour blindness, as he couldn't make up
his mind if England was too red or too pink.

Eugene, Heidelberg, germany

Funny really, even as a young man I hated politics, and all politicians ,naturally.
However , although I suffered during the power-cuts etc, I always respected Ted.
I thought then, and still do to this day, that he was a real PM (unlike Bliar) .
I really don't care if he was gay or not,
it is totally irrellivent.

malcolm, kettering,

"Ted Heath ‘propositioned men for sex’"

...and what was their answer?

Moses Ironnob, Hong Kong,

I saw my wife arm in arm with Mr Heath once - did not for one moment think my marriage was in danger.

Chris Gillibrand, Brussels in exile, Belgium

Sir Edward Heath was the acceptable face of the Tories.

A man of compassion, in marked contrast to the right-wing nature of much of the party at the time.

And very much unlike Tony Blair, Ted Heath had a presence which gave Britain a great dignity.

If what is being said is true, Brian Coleman, chairman of the London Assembly, should have said it whilst the man was alive to defend himself.

As Mr Coleman said ''I did not know him well myself....''
In other words he is relying on hearsay.

K Urban, London, UK

Ted Heath fancied men. Shock, horror! Major revelation, I would never have guessed. Do the words so and what spring to mind here?

Brian Hill, dinburgh,

It is a pity Mr Coleman makes these unsubstantiated allegations when Ted Heath can no longer defend himself.

Mr Bow

John Chisum, Milton Keynes, UK

I'm not even slightly surprised by the suggestion that Heath was gay. After all, it was generally accepted during his time in office that he was (in the parlance of the time) a raving poof.

In any case, a man duplicitous enough repeatedly to assure the British public that joining the common market posed no threat to our national sovereignty would have no difficulty concealing a matter as trivial as his sexuality. Hansard refers - his pronouncements in later years make quite clear that he was not telling the truth about the 'common market'.

What does surprise me though, is the liberal use of incorrect hyphens in the Times online, not to mention non existent words containing incorrect hyphens. 'predalic-tion?' Predilection perhaps. I suppose it's a sign of the ever more depressing times (no pun intended) that this uninformed garbage gets past the editor

j griffiths, manchester, england

It's a shame that someone like Ted Heath, (gay or not,) but someone who believed that there were people in this world who were of no consequence was allowed to drag Britain into the common market against the wishes of the people, yes, there was supposed to be a poll, I ran my own poll and every single person I asked did not want the Country to be part of the EEC.
I have always thought that Ted Heath took us into the market so that he could go down in history as having done something significant, it was significant alright, he sold us down the river for his own selfish purpose.

Barbara Miller, Tampa FL, USA

Morning Cloud Man ,who cares if he was a was a queer?

Denver Watt, Osaka, Japan

I'm waiting for the 'other' (allegedl) one to be made public, far more interesting than this one, which everyone guessed anyway. LOL
Could that be why he lied to the British people about the EU, don't tell me he was being blackmailed please, although nothing surprises me about politicians and PMs any more, sadly.

Samantha , Bucks, England

If true, why would this matter?
If false, why publish it?

Eric Thomson, London, England

Again, this is a load of sewer-journallsm.

Jan van den Bos, Zoetermeer, Netherlands

not me

miss mecca, leeds, UK

The Times should not repeat this unsubstantiated gossip. This was bound to happen once Heath died and couldn't sue. You would not have published this when he was alive.

kevin merchant, ware,

Who cares?

Dr Gonzo, UK,

Ted Heath's friends apparently.

Arthur, Newcastle,

Ditto, I don't either

Veronica Jones, Hatfield, UK

What does it matter? Unless he was having an affair with or being bribed by a KGB spy it is really of very little consequence.

Paul Owen, Birmingham, UK

So - and what's the point of this 'revelation' being made public now?

Kauri, London, UK

Yeah man who cares? What we need are some strong Egyiptian cigarettes, hawaiian shirts, 1 litre of cranberry schnapps, a reel to reel tape recorder, some guava, a stripper named June and a marmoset.

Samoan Shyster, Las Vegas,

What's more important than his sexuality was the fact that he was a lousy prime minister.

ed Ingle, chesham, bucks

well said gonzo

ben, uk,

Do I really need to know this?

Thisby, London, UK

The most important distruction that happened by Ted Heath is nothing to do with his sexuality oir lack of, was that he stopped Enock Powel becoming Prime Minister which would have changed England from what it is today...In shambles!

steve gilmour, Cambridgeshire., UK.

I agree, does any of this really matter? Are there not more pressing matters in the world today that need to make the front page of the Times Online?

J.Fleming, London,

Nobody should mind what he did in his private life. What makes Traitor Heath an execrable figure is selling his country down the river, including destroying the fishing industry, at a stroke.

John Ledbury, Kings Lynn, England

Privy Councilling could well be a cottaging euphmism?

Ah the double entendre

GeorgeW, Halifax, UK

For goodness sake. Let's read something of importance.

Tim, Hants, England

I was thinking about going to the Yorkshire Dales this weekend to look at holiday cottages. Don't think I shall now.

Clive Minihan, London,

Who cares?

Dr Gonzo, UK,