Boris Johnson’s father Stanley awkwardly side-steps question about whether eco-activist girlfriend Carrie Symonds is a good influence on his son saying he hopes new PM will work ‘with ALL environment organisations’
- Stanley Johnson dodged repeated questions about Carrie Symonds this morning
- He didn’t answer Kate Garraway on GMB on whether Boris listens to her
- Then barely acknowledged knowing her when asked if she was a good influence
- Carrie Symonds, 31, is a former Conservative senior staffer and now works for an environmental charity
- Stanley Johnson also denied reports Boris had always wanted to be PM
Stanley Johnson awkwardly and repeatedly side-stepped questions about the influence of the Prime Minister’s girlfriend this morning, and compared Brexit to World War One in a wide-ranging and personal interview.
After saying his son does not listen to him, the PM’s father was asked by Good Morning Britain presenter Kate Garraway: ‘Does he listen to Carrie?’
But Johnson senior simply said it would be ‘constitutionally irresponsible’ for the PM to listen to his father.
Pressed on whether Carrie was a ‘good influence’, Stanley Johnson dodged the question completely, saying: ‘I tell you something, I hope he will work with all the environmental organisations.’
Carrie Symonds was pictured with Stanley Johnson at an anti-whaling protest in London
He went on to acknowledge having shared a platform with Miss Symonds – who works for an environmental charity after years at the top of the Tory communications department – but barely acknowledged knowing her.
‘Yes I’ve made speeches and walked down Whitehall and had the honour of meeting other people who were making speeches at the same time, and Carrie has been one of them.
‘But again I think constitutionally he has a system of having advisers and that’s how it’ll go.’
Earlier in the interview with Kate Garraway and Adil Ray he likened Brexit to the outbreak of hostilities of the First World War, and denied reports that his son had always wanted to be Prime Minister.
Mr Johnson also revealed that ‘a lot of the heavy lifting’ bringing up his son was ‘done by the schools’
He told Adil and Kate that Boris had not always wanted to be PM – contradicting interviews his own daughter has given
Boris Johnson’s girlfriend Carrie Symonds stood outside Number 10 as her partner gave his first speech in Downing Street
He said Boris had put forward a ‘totally straightforward’ plan on Brexit but also compared leaving the UK to the outbreak of the First World War.
He said: ‘What he needs to do now with his diplomats… all those diplomats instead of doing their summer holidays, ought to be in each individual country of the EU and jolly well saying, ‘looks folks, tell your chaps in Brussels, we’re running into a.. almost like a war type situation which is building up’.
‘It sort of reminds me of the outbreak of hostilities in the first world war – nobody really wanted to fire the first shot, they’re all digging in, it’s ludicrous.’
He denied reports his son had always harboured the ambition to lead the country, despite his own daughter telling a TV interview that Boris used to reply ‘world king’ when asked as a child what he wanted to be when he grew up.
But Mr Johnson’s father Stanley (left), sister Rachel (centre), and brother Jo (right) attened the result of the Tory leadership contest
This morning Stanley Johnson, asked if Boris had always wanted to be PM, said: ‘I don’t know that, nobody ever told me that.
‘I keep on reading it in the press but. Not to my knowledge.’
He also revealed he had been largely absent during Boris’s early years. He said: ‘You look at me as though people know a lot about their children.
‘The sort of upbringing my children had, a lot of the heavy lifting as far as parenting was concerned, that was done by the schools.
‘I say to myself the secret of parenting is let someone else do it.
‘The best possible way to get the answer to your question is to read a series of school reports.’