Boris Johnson’s fiancee Carrie Symonds gives birth to baby boy
Boris Johnson’s fiance Carrie Symonds has given birth to a “healthy baby boy” at a London hospital this morning, according to a Downing Street spokesperson.
The baby and mother are both said to be doing well.
There has been no announcement on what they have named their newborn son, but Coral bookmakers has Alexander as 3/1 favourite, in front of James at 4/1.
“The Prime Minister and Ms Symonds are thrilled to announce the birth of a healthy baby boy at a London hospital earlier this morning. Both mother and baby are doing very well,” the spokesperson said.
“The PM and Ms Symonds would like to thank the fantastic NHS maternity team.”
Symonds, 32, announced she was pregnant in February.
She also announced on the same day that she and Johnson were engaged and planned to get married in the summer, however it is unknown if the wedding will be postponed because of the coronavirus crisis.
It is the Prime Minister’s sixth child, after four with his separated wife Marina Wheeler and one with art consultant Helen MacIntyre.
Johnson will not be attending Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) today, with foreign secretary Dominic Raab deputising.
The Prime Minister said in March that he would be taking paternity leave when the child was born, however it is unknown if this is still the plan.
It would follow in the steps of David Cameron, who took two weeks’ leave in 2010 after the birth of his daughter Florence.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer congratulated the couple shortly after the announcement.
He tweeted: “Wonderful news. Many congratulations to Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds.”
Chancellor Rishi Sunak also tweeted his congratulations.
“Great to hear Downing Street is getting a new resident,” he said.
“Congratulations to Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds on the birth of their son.”
Speaking at the House of Commons, speaker Lindsay Hoyle said: “On behalf of everyone in the House of Commons, may I say congratulations to the Prime Minister and Carrie Symonds on the birth of their son.
“Such happy news amid so much uncertainty – 2020 is certainly a year they will never forget.
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey tweeted: “Many congratulations to the PM and Carrie Symonds on the birth of their son!”
Johnson and his estranged wife Wheeler announced in September 2018 that they had begun divorce proceedings several months earlier.
In February, it was announced that they had come to a financial settlement.
Johnson was also previously married to Allegra Mostyn-Owen for six years, before they annulled their relationship in 1993. He married Wheeler just 12 days later.
Symonds and Johnson reportedly first began their relationship in 2018, and by 2019 they had moved in together.
Symonds previously worked on Johnson’s 2010 mayoral campaign, shortly after completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Warwick.
She went on to work at Conservative party headquarters, before stints as an adviser to Sajid Javid and John Whittingdale.
She was appointed as the party’s head of communications in 2018, but left shortly after to work at Oceana – a non-profit ocean conservation organisation.
Symonds is a vocal environmentalist and was spotted last year at a “Save the Whales” demonstration with the Prime Minister’s father Stanley Johnson.