Tag Archives: carrie johnson

Boris Johnson Holds Lavish Party At Tory Donor’s Estate To Celebrate His Wedding

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Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie have celebrated the first anniversary of their wedding with a lavish party in the grounds of a multi-millionaire Tory donor.

A giant white marquee was erected at 18th-century Daylesford House in the Cotswolds, which is owned by Lord Bamford, to host the celebrations.

The outgoing prime minister’s supporters, including Nadine Dorries and Jacob Rees-Mogg, were rewarded for their loyalty with invitations to the big-money bash.

Johnson’s 81-year-old father Stanley and his sister Rachel were also in attendance, as was Australian actor Holly Valance.

Other political allies joining the festivities included Tory peer Lord Goldsmith and former cabinet minister John Whittingdale.

Liz Truss, who is favourite to succeed Johnson as PM, was unable to attend due to the Tory leadership campaign.

Speaking in Bromley, Kent, she defended his decision to hold the party at a time when so many people in the country are struggling with the cost of living crisis.

She said: “I think he’s entitled to enjoy his wedding day, and I wish the best to him and Carrie and all the family.”

Stanley Johnson arrives at Daylesford House.
Stanley Johnson arrives at Daylesford House.

Beresford Hodge – PA Images via Getty Images

Guests were able to relax on hay bales and benches placed outside the marquee and eat and drink at casks and small tables as they enjoyed views across vast meadows and orchards.

The Johnsons had originally been planning to throw their wedding party at the Prime Minister’s official country residence, Chequers, in Buckinghamshire.

But that plan was ditched following a huge political backlash.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and wife Carrie arriving for the official welcome ceremony during the G7 summit in Schloss Elmau, in the Bavarian Alps, Germany. Picture date: Sunday June 26, 2022.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson and wife Carrie arriving for the official welcome ceremony during the G7 summit in Schloss Elmau, in the Bavarian Alps, Germany. Picture date: Sunday June 26, 2022.

Stefan Rousseau via PA Wire/PA Images

The couple married in a low-key private ceremony at Westminster Cathedral last year, organised in secret, in front of a small group of family and friends.

This was followed by a reception in the gardens of 10 Downing Street with a limited number of guests due to coronavirus restrictions.

It is understood that billionaire Lord Bamford, chairman of construction equipment manufacturer JCB, is covering at least some of the cost of the party.

It is not the first time Johnson has benefited from his generosity.

The Tory peer supported his 2019 leadership bid, with the PM knocking down a wall with a JCB digger at the firm’s Staffordshire factory in a stunt to demonstrate he could “get Brexit done”.

Lord Bamford’s wife, Lady Carole Bamford, set up the upmarket Daylesford Organic Farm, with a chain of shops selling its produce across London.

Johnson reportedly received food from the Daylesford farm shop worth an estimated £12,500 during the pandemic, though Downing Street said he paid for the cost of all food for “personal consumption”.

When asked about the wedding celebrations, No 10 declined to comment on the “private matter”.

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Boris And Carrie Johnson ‘Intend To Hold Chequers Wedding Party’ Before Departing

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Boris and Carrie Johnson are reportedly ploughing on with plans for a wedding party at Chequers as the prime minister shifts to a caretaker role in his final days in office.

The pair married in a low-key, private ceremony at Westminster Cathedral last year.

A small group of family and friends attended the wedding, organised in strict secrecy, which was followed by a reception in the gardens of 10 Downing Street.

It was known the Johnsons planned to have a larger celebration in 2022, when coronavirus restrictions were likely to be relaxed.

They were said to have sent save-the-date cards to family and friends for the celebration on July 30.

The Evening Standard reported last month that this would take the form of a “champagne-soaked soiree” at the PM’s country residence to celebrate the couple’s first anniversary.

It has now been suggested that Johnson wanted to stay on as a caretaker prime minister in part to see this through – although this claim was denied by Downing Street.

The Mirror said it was told by two separate sources that the pair were keen to go ahead with the celebrations.

One Tory source said: “It beggars belief that even after all the criticism Johnson has faced regarding integrity and probity, one of the reasons he is staying is to have his wedding party at Chequers.

“It’s a national asset not his personal home. The Johnsons should do the decent thing and find a different venue. And Boris should do the decent thing and leave No 10 immediately”.

A second insider told the paper: “It’s crass if it goes ahead.”

But a spokesman for Johnson said: “The PM has a strong sense of duty and will continue to serve his country until a new leader is in place solely to continue his obligation to the public.”

It comes after the outgoing PM appeared to slip up in his resignation speech at Downing Street, thanking the “wonderful staff here at Chequers”, before quickly correcting himself to say “here at No 10”.

“And of course at Chequers,” he added.

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Labour’s Lisa Nandy Hits Out At ‘Offensive’ No.10 Culture As More Partygate Claims Emerge

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Lisa Nandy criticised the drinking culture in No.10 again on Monday as new partygate claims emerged over the weekend.

The Sunday Times has reported that the prime minister’s wife, Carrie Johnson, may now have had two supposed parties in Downing Street but neither of the alleged gatherings are going to be investigated by Sue Gray.

As Labour’s shadow levelling up secretary, Nandy told Sky News: “What this shows to me is not that there’s been another party or that there should be another investigation.

″Much more that there is clearly a culture which the prime minister has presided over, where people made the rules, they broke the rules, they lied about it and they laughed about it. And they’re still trying to get away with it.

“For a lot of families in this country that is incredibly offensive for the whole country, that’s a very serious thing.”

Her strong remarks came after digital minister Chris Philp told Sky’s Kay Burley that he did not see any reason for there to be further investigations into partygate.

“I think we’ve had an unbelievably comprehensive set of investigations, now going on for a period of nearly six months,” Philp said, later adding: “It’s not immediately obvious to me that this has – rightly – been the most thoroughly investigated set of incidents in recent times.”

In response, Nandy claimed: “It’s difficult for him to argue that and probably privately he would accept that, when the revelations keep coming on about more.”

Taking aim at Johnson again, the shadow cabinet minister added: “In the end if you can’t trust the prime minister to make sure the rules he made were followed, what can you trust him to do?”

However, there is still an investigation by MPs ahead, to see if Johnson knowingly misled the Commons when he – repeatedly – said no rules had been broken in Downing Street. If Johnson were found to have done so, it would be a breach of the ministerial code.

Last week, No.10 announced it was changing the wording of the ministerial code, removing early references to honesty and making it so minor breaches did not mean people had to resign.

Such a move prompted outrage from the general public.

Labour have since called for there to be an impartial approach to the ministerial code, so those in power “can’t bend the rules to suit them”.

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Boris And Carrie Johnson Expecting Second Child Together

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The prime minister and his wife are expecting a second child after Carrie Johnson revealed the heartbreak of a miscarriage at the start of the year.

In a statement on social media, Ms Johnson said the brother or sister to their first child Wilfred was due to arrive “this Christmas”.

The 33-year-old environmental campaigner added: “At the beginning of the year, I had a miscarriage which left me heartbroken.

“I feel incredibly blessed to be pregnant again but I’ve also felt like a bag of nerves.”

JACK HILL via Getty Images

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Carrie Johnson 

The couple made the announcement only two months after they tied the knot during a low-key wedding at Westminster Cathedral.

Ms Johnson, a former Conservative Party communications director, said she wanted to share the personal news about her miscarriage to “help others”.

She added: “Fertility issues can be really hard for many people, particularly when on platforms like Instagram it can look like everything is only ever going well.

“I found it a real comfort to hear from people who had also experienced loss so I hope that in some very small way sharing this might help others too.”

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer put politics aside to send congratulations to the couple and said he was “very sorry” to hear about the earlier miscarriage.

“I’m sure that Carrie speaking out will be of comfort to others and make them feel less alone,” the Opposition leader added.

Downing Street said the Prime Minister had been due to work this weekend from his official country residence Chequers in Buckinghamshire, although it is not known if the couple are there together.

Handout via Getty Images

The pair married earlier this year

The new arrival is set to be Mr Johnson’s seventh child at least, having had four children with second wife Marina Wheeler, who he divorced last year following their separation in September 2018.

In 2013 it emerged during another court hearing that Mr Johnson fathered a daughter during an adulterous liaison while Mayor of London in 2009.

The 57-year-old’s son Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson – named partly after a doctor who helped save the Tory leader’s life when he contracted coronavirus in spring 2020 – was born in April of the same year.

Mr Johnson has looked to brush off questions about whether he has any more children.

The former journalist met his first wife, Allegra Mostyn-Owen, while they were students at Oxford. They married in 1987 but the marriage was annulled in 1993.

In 2004, he was sacked from the Tory frontbench over a reported affair with journalist Petronella Wyatt.

The divorce from lawyer Ms Wheeler, who he married in 1993, and subsequent marriage to his now third wife is understood to make Mr Johnson the first prime minister to get divorced and marry in office in modern times.

Mr Johnson and his then girlfriend also made history as the first unmarried couple to officially live together in Downing Street when they moved into the flat in Number 11 in 2019.

Formerly known by her maiden name of Symonds, the PR expert first found herself making headlines when she was romantically linked to Mr Johnson in early 2019.

But her association with Mr Johnson dates back to when she worked on his successful re-election bid at City Hall in 2012.

After her husband’s arrival in Downing Street, she was involved in a power struggle with the former de facto chief of staff in No 10, Dominic Cummings, which led to his ousting in the autumn.

Mr Cummings has accused Ms Symonds of looking to interfere in the running of the Government and recommending to her husband who to hire and fire, allegations that Downing Street deny.

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Boris Johnson And Carrie Symonds Are Married, Downing Street Confirms

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Downing Street has confirmed that prime minister Boris Johnson married his partner Carrie Symonds over the weekend.

The couple tied the knot at Westminster Cathedral on Saturday afternoon, with a small group of their friends and family present for the ceremony.

Reports of the wedding began circulating on Saturday, with a spokesperson confirming the following morning: “The Prime Minister and Ms Symonds were married yesterday afternoon in a small ceremony at Westminster Cathedral.

“The couple will celebrate their wedding with family and friends next summer.”

PA

Carrie Symonds and Boris Johnson on their wedding day

PA has reported that the celebration will take place in July 2022, with Symonds set to take on her new husband’s surname, being known as Carrie Johnson as of Saturday.

An official photo has also been released of the pair on their wedding day, with the bride sporting a white dress and floral headband, while the PM is seen sporting a black suit with a blue tie.

According to The Sun, Westminster Cathedral was cleared by staff at 1.30pm on Saturday, who told visitors it was “going into lockdown”.

PA

Westminster Cathedral, where the PM was married on Saturday

The wedding was officiated by Father Daniel Humphreys, who had given the couple pre-marriage instructions, and oversaw the baptism of their son Wilfred, who was born in 2020.

This is the first marriage for 33-year-old Carrie Johnson, while it is the prime minister’s third.

He was previously married to the artist and journalist Allegra Mostyn-Owen between 1987 and 1993, and the barrister and journalist Marina Wheeler.

Johnson and Wheeler’s divorce was finalised in 2020.

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