[Cherie]

Don’t recall Philip May getting this treatment...he was Teresa’s rock naturally

Boris Johnson’s inner circle imploded so spectacularly in recent days that only one close political confidante from the early days of No 10 remains: his wife, Carrie Johnson.

The most powerful prime ministerial spouse in recent memory, the 33-year-old Johnson has a job of her own for a wildlife charity, but multiple sources from Downing Street past and present say her influence on the prime minister’s operation is undeniable.

In the recent clearout, two of her allies, Henry Newman and Simone Finn, appear – so far – to have kept their jobs.

And those who know her say she is determined to keep Johnson in Downing Street, despite the scandals over No 10 parties – some of which she attended – and the funding of No 11 flat refurbishment, which was her project with celebrity designer Lulu Lytle.

The flat refurb, involving gold wallpaper and a £112,000 price tag, has seen critics brand her “Carrie Antoinette”, a label she is known to dislike. But one former Downing Street insider says there was a different nickname for her – Ann Boleyn.

Her rivals cast her as the much younger wife trying to have too much political say and manipulate an egotistical leader.

Former Downing Street insiders report feeling Carrie could make her husband change his mind, sometimes overnight, on an issue they thought was already agreed.

The prime minister would also tell aides that if he didn’t take a particular course of action, it would anger his wife.

They also reported Johnson himself receiving scores of messages from her during the working day - and Carrie Johnson repeatedly calling his staff, insisting the prime minister be hauled out of meetings to talk to her.

Those political aides who have crossed her – former strategist Dominic Cummings, and for a while, election guru Sir Lynton Crosby – have certainly found themselves cast out, while many on the right side of her have prospered politically, including friends such as Nadine Dorries, the culture secretary.

But there is more than a whiff of sexism about such descriptions, according to the female Tory MPs she has befriended.

It is also acknowledged even by some of her friends, though, that she has tried to have her say on policy issues, texting or WhatsApping ministers directly to share her views. This is mostly about her interest in the environment, which has given her a bond with the prime minister’s father, Stanley, and the wealthy Tory peer, Zac Goldsmith.

The most controversial claim is that she was behind the government’s decision to repatriate the animals of Pen Farthing from Afghanistan to the UK, which a Foreign Office email suggests was authorised by the prime minister – something he rejects. A friend says that she strongly denied having anything to do with it, telling them that women and children should be the priority and that it was a complex issue.

One person who knows Symonds well says she is more interested in cutting plastic waste than net zero, but that she is “very genuine”.



https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...downing-street