Political opposites who stunned Canberra with their secret romance to go public at Midwinter Ball after weeks of ‘hurtful gossip and speculation’

One of the most unlikely political couples in recent history is set to announce her romance with a joint appearance at the Midwinter Ball in Canberra.

Although Victoria State MP Georgie Purcell and Federal MP Josh Burns both come from left-wing parties – Animal Justice Party (AJP) and Labor respectively – it is their opposing views on the Middle East that raise so many eyebrows.

Mr. Burns, 37, is Jewish, a Zionist and a prominent supporter of Israel, while Ms. Purcell, 31, is a pro-Palestinian activist who regularly appears at protest marches.

Their presence at the ball should put an end to what they have been calling ‘harmful gossip and speculation’ about their relationship for weeks.

Ms Purcell, a former stripper with multiple tattoos, has almost 200,000 followers on Instagram, where she regularly posts about Palestine.

Although the couple now openly express their opinions, including posting a selfie together, the AJP MP has asked for some privacy about her relationship with the rising Labor star.

“I give more of myself to public life than most politicians, whether it’s my past in sex work, my abortion experience or my mental health issues – and that takes its toll,” she told the newspaper. Herald Sun.

‘Victorians have a right to judge my policies and my voting record, but I ask only for some privacy in the parts of my private life that I do not wish to share.’

Mr Burns, 37, is Jewish, a Zionist and a very prominent supporter of Israel, while Ms Purcell (pictured), 31, is a pro-Palestinian activist who is regularly seen at protest marches.

This came after Burns’ St Kilda constituency office was set on fire and windows smashed, in a move the MP called a “politically motivated attack”.

The walls of the building were covered in red paint and graffiti with a slogan that read: “Zionism is fascism.” Zionism refers to the ideology that Jews have the right to their own state in their ancestral homeland of Israel.

It was the latest in a series of vandalism attacks targeting the offices of state and federal parliamentarians in the aftermath of the Gaza conflict.

But Mr Burns said he and Ms Purcell were able to reach agreement on the issue despite their apparently distant positions.

“We agree on so much and we talk about the rest. I respect her and she respects me. We agree on what is important – we want peace and an end to violence,” he said.

Ms Purcell, the youngest woman in any Australian parliament and the second-youngest woman ever elected to Victoria’s Legislative Council, recently posted on Instagram that she has “met someone special” who she “can’t stop thinking about ‘.

It has now emerged that this is Mr Burns.

This comes after Mr Burns’ electoral office in St Kilda (pictured) was set on fire and windows smashed in what the MP called a ‘politically motivated attack’.

The couple’s reference to “damaging gossip and speculation” may refer to a thinly veiled account of the beginnings of their romance that appeared last month in an advice column for News Corp.’s parenting website Kidspot.

A woman who identified herself as A Sydney Mum told the publication about a single father she called “Joe” who she dated.

“Joe was very open about his desire to have another child with me,” she wrote. “We talked and planned the merging of our families.

‘Two nights before we had gone out and talked about our plans for the future. He told me he had never been happier and that I was everything he was looking for in a partner.”

Joe met her children after they spoke to him on the phone first so the children could “become familiar with his voice.”

Ms Purcell (pictured) is the youngest woman in any Australian parliament and the second youngest woman ever elected to the Victorian Legislative Council

The 31-year-old took to Instagram to share a short clip in which she revealed that she recently ‘met someone special’ who she ‘can’t stop thinking about’

But then the women claimed Joe ignored her and the relationship ended.

“I was angry that he turned on me, but I was furious that he turned on my children,” she wrote.

The Australian reported that it was on “impeccable authority” that Joe is a pseudonym for Josh Burns.

Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting Mr Burns is the man referred to as Joe.

Mr Burns has been contacted for comment.