They call her “Lady Macbeth” and accuse her of being the one who really runs the government of Boris Johnson, her recent husband. Carrie Johnson, full-time mum of two, last wife of the Prime Minister, former Conservative Party communications chief, is being discredited in a misogynistic way, in an offensive led by Dominic Cummings, her husband’s former adviser and personal enemy.
A biography of Lord Ashcroft, the former deputy chairman of Britain’s Conservative Party, accuses Boris Johnson of appointing certain staff because “Carrie would be mad at him” if he didn’tfiring officials he doesn’t like and reversing established government policy after his wife criticized it.
The book shows as a dominant, controlling woman who can’t work with anyone. An alleged dialogue between a friend of the prime minister and the author would have gone like this: ”Boris is trapped in an emotionally damaging relationship. I think he is scared of her and he dominates it,” the source said.
According to Ashcrof, she demands that her friends be placed in key positions. Allegra Stratton, a prestigious ITN journalist, was a friend of hers and a spokesperson for Boris, until a scandal in Downing St ruined her career.
Carrie Johnson is in the eye of the storm. AFP Photo
An atmosphere of fear would be in Downing St if Carrie doesn’t like someone, according to the book. “There can be serious consequences if she doesn’t love you,” alert. The ministers denounce that there are two sides: pro Carrie and anti Carrie.
the third wife
Carrie (33) is the third wife of Boris, the father of seven children, two of whom were born in Downing St. One of Ashcroft’s sources compared the Johnson couple’s “toxic” relationship to a Greek tragedy, saying: “He he could have been a great prime minister. But his lack of discipline, which led him to get involved with Carrie, it cost him. Her potential to transform the country has been wasted, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s because of her.”
Former adviser Dominic Cummings has accused Carrie Johnson, the natural daughter of the newspaper’s founder. The Independent with a reputable lawyer, to break confinement to organize a party, with which she and Boris celebrated their expulsion from 10 Downing St.
Since then Cumings has only one goal: get boris johnson kicked out of office and leak photos of the parties during the confinement, dates and statements to the press before Sue Grey, who was supposed to report on what really happened there. The alleged party is being investigated by the police.
A spokesperson for Carrie Johnson said: “Once again, Ms. Johnson has been the target of a brutal information campaign against him by her husband’s enemies. This is just the latest attempt to discredit her by embittered former officials of hers. She is a private person, who does not play any role in the government.”
The spokesperson’s statement will be seen as a thinly veiled attack on Dominic Cummings, Johnson’s former senior adviser, who was forced to leave Downing Street in 2020 after losing a power struggle.
Ashcroft’s biography, serialized in the tabloid The Mail on Sunday, alleges that Carrie Johnson, then Symonds and single, began looking for him when Boris was chancellor and still married to his second wife, Marina. A lawyer and his childhood friend, daughter of a famous correspondent for The Times in India, who supported him and with whom he has 4 children. Carrie tried to get made her chief of staff.
Carrie and Boris Johnson with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Reuters Photo
Sarah Vine, the ex-wife of Michael Gove, the Secretary of State, said she had “more than a hint of misogyny” in the reviews.
the allies
Former Conservative Party Vice President’s Book Claims She Demanded Appointment a number of allies for roles in the campaign Johnson’s leadership and later, in government. He portrays the prime minister as easily swayed by his criticism of policies.
One source alleges that after the prime minister agreed on a decision at team meetings, “he would go home and tell Carrie everything that had been decided. Then the phone would ring and he would say: ‘we have to change this. We have to do that. We’re not going to do it like that anymore.’”
Perhaps the most serious allegation is that Boris Johnson’s wife used the prime minister’s phone to give instructions, on his behalf, during his leadership campaign. “We became aware of the different ways things were written, because the style changed. We learned to detect when she was the one who wrote the message”claimed a campaign member.
Carrie is scared by this brutal offensive. He believes that the best way is for Boris Johnson to resign from office to protect himself, her and their two children from tremendous attacks.
“The attacks on Carrie Johnson are sexist and questions about the role of a prime minister’s partner in public life should be off limits,” Secretary of State Sajid Javid said.
“Going after Carrie Johnson is undignified, it’s unfair and it’s just wrong. It has no formal role in government. Why is she different from anyone who has preceded her as a prime minister’s wife, she wondered.
The British Health Secretary’s intervention came after Johnson accuse “embittered former officials” of trying to discredit her, with explosive claims that her government meddling had contributed to the chaos engulfing her husband’s rule.
In a rare public statement following the publication of excerpts from a critical biography, a spokeswoman for Carrie was forced to insist that the prime minister’s wife “plays no role in government”.
Kwasi Kwarteng, the secretary of commerce, defended Carrie Johnson’s right to express political opinions and insisted that he “deliberately did not read” the book.
The Newman case
Newman is a close friend of Carrie Johnson. He was once described by her, a former Conservative Party communications chief, as one of her “favorite people”. He is a regular visitor to the Prime Minister’s apartment in Downing Street.
The prime minister was urged to get rid of Newman as senior adviser over allegations that his wife was influencing his appointments and government policy, which Downing St has strongly denied.
His departure comes as several people in the prime minister’s team have resigned, in the wake of the “partygate” scandal, which saw civil servant Sue Gray publish a limited report on the closing events at Downing Street and Whitehall, which are now being investigated. by the police.
Five key advisers resigned last week. They included his chief policy officer, Munira Mirza, who said Johnson refused to apologize for accusing Sir Keir Starmer of failing to prosecute pedophile Jimmy Savile.
Johnson tried to defuse questions about changes to his main team.
“I think what people want is for the government to focus, not on things that happen in Westminster, but on life beyond Westminster and on the needs of the country. That is what we are doing,” Boris said.
New team
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Steve Barclay was appointed over the weekend as Johnson’s new chief of staff. Former BBC journalist and longtime ally when Mayor of London, Guto Harri, was appointed director of communications.
Dominic Cummings is being faced for the first time. Guto Harri, who was his key aide when he was mayor, is a reputation repair specialist.
Cumming sent a Twitter saying that Harri was a Remain or pro European, which said that Boris was “sexually incontinent”“highly destructive”.
Harris uploaded an article, which he had published in GQ in 2020, warning that Cumming “would be leaving work in a few months”, that he was “gratuitously offensive” and “abuser of junior staff”. “Ask yourself: would you work with him? Would you hire him?Would your conduct be tolerated in a school, hospital, regiment, college, company or club? Boris Johnson’s new communications chief was questioned.
Harri’s response shows that Boris Johnson has decided to directly confront Cummings, who is going to reveal damaging accusations about him.
At least 100 letters have been collected in the Conservative Party’s 1922 Committee, demanding a vote of confidence in Boris Johnson. He needs 180 deputies to vote for him to remain in power. His end or stay at Downing St will be bloody.
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