Boris Johnson and his girlfriend Carrie Symonds have been spotted canoodling in the countryside with friends saying they are still ‘very much in love’ despite a late-night row that saw the police called in by neighbours.
A friend of the couple has told MailOnline that claims they splitting up are smears and revealed the Tory leadership favourite, 55, intends to marry his girlfriend ‘as soon as the time is right’ after his divorce from second wife Marina goes through.
On Friday they were spoken to by police after a blazing row and have now been forced to flee their South London home after a gang of anarchists set up camp on their doorstep yelling abuse and slapping ‘f*** Boris’ stickers on the front door.
Today social media images of Boris and Carrie have emerged showing them hand-in-hand and smiling in Sussex yesterday afternoon, undermining claims their relationship is in crisis.
A friend of the couple told MailOnline: ‘There has been so much nonsense touted around about their relationship. The truth is that they love each other very much and want to get married as soon as the time is right. Boris only has eyes for Carrie and she is totally smitten with him. The age gap is irrelevant. It just works. Any suggestion otherwise is just people causing trouble’.
Boris’ leadership campaign has been damaged after neighbours called in Met after a blazing disagreement in their Camberwell home where plates were apparently thrown and Carrie was allegedly heard yelling: ‘get off me’ and ‘get out of my flat’.
The recording of the couple having a ‘plate smashing screaming row’ was handed to the police and the Guardian newspaper by ardent Remainers Eve Leigh, 34, and Tom Penn, 30, who said that they feared for Miss Symonds’ safety
But Boris and his girlfriend are said to be furious saying it was part of a politically-motivated attack on them by ‘hostile’ neighbours who had repeatedly ‘crossed many lines’, MailOnline can reveal.
Tory MP and Boris supporter Nadine Dorries said today: ‘I’ve spoken to Boris and Carrie over the weekend. They are naturally shocked and upset that their neighbours taped their private conversation for the Guardian. They were aware the neighbours were hostile politically but the campaign against them has crossed many lines.
‘They have endured protests outside the flat, aggressive posters, hand-delivered hate mail and provocative behaviour in the street. They have been forced out of their home over fears for safety. But they are very much together, and, if anything, stronger as a result’.
Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds have broken cover and looked happy and were holding hands in the Sussex countryside on Sunday
An onlooker said they looked smitten after a bust-up on Friday that saw the police called to the south London flat they’ve now been forced to flee after anarchists camped outside
Carrie and Boris pictured in February last year after a Tory ball at the Natural History Museum – a friend of the Tory leadership hopeful says that he wants to make her his third wife
Boris Johnson and his girlfriend Carrie Symonds (pictured) have fled their home following the bust-up that has dented his hopes of becoming prime minister
Protesters have swamped the pavement outside their south-east London flat and they are unable to return home – but based on the pictures from yesterday, the couple appear to be going strong.
An onlooker said: ‘They looked really relaxed and happy in each other’s company. They sat there for ages chatting and holding hands. They didn’t seem bothered by anyone or anything else’.
Mr Johnson was thrown out by his second wife Marina last September after being accused of cheating on her – and moved in with Miss Symonds, a former Tory aide 23-years his junior.
Debate is raging over whether Carrie and Boris’ neighbours had been right to record the row between them in the early hours of Friday morning. The bust-up that has dented his hopes of becoming prime minister, according to two polls over the weekend.
With anarchists now camped outside the flat, Boris and Carrie have decided to go into hiding.
Friends of the former foreign secretary say it may be impossible for him to return to the £700,000 property in Camberwell, south London. One said the couple had spent the weekend together and their ‘loving and doting’ relationship was ‘stronger than ever’.
Mr Johnson, 55, is refusing to break his silence on the domestic incident in the early hours of Friday that saw police officers called.
Some sources claimed that they almost split up at the start of this month – and have had four arguments in just six weeks.
The Tory leadership favourite is even said to be ‘yearning’ for his second wife Marina, who threw him out last September over his philandering.
In March Carrie and Boris were spotted in Italy on a short holiday as their relationship became more serious
One spat between Boris and Carrie was said to have been caused after the potential prime minister, 55, arrived home later than expected.
The pair, who are believed to have started dating in September, shortly after Mr Johnson announced he was splitting from his wife of 25 years, have been living together in Camberwell, south east London.
On Friday, the couple got into a heated argument in which Miss Symonds, 31, shouted ‘get off me’ and ‘get out of my flat’ and neighbours called the police.
But the altercation isn’t the first time they’ve had an ‘explosive’ row – with one friend calling the past six weeks ‘especially testing’.
Another friend told the Mirror: ‘He is yearning for Marina and wistful and would like what he had before.
‘But there is no way on earth Marina would sanction any of that. She knows what Boris is feeling and Carrie probably knows what he’s feeling, too, which may explain their row’.
But their body language and behaviour in Sussex yesterday appears to show the opposite.
Leadership rival Jeremy Hunt has raised the pressure on his Tory leadership rival by saying ‘someone who wants to be prime minister should answer questions on everything’.
As MPs who are backing Mr Johnson also called for him to reveal what happened:
- It emerged that Miss Symonds was accused by a Johnson aide of helping his rival Sajid Javid;
- Supporters of Mr Johnson privately voiced concerns about his relationship with her;
- Pictures emerged of Mr Johnson buying the wine that spilled on Miss Symonds sofa, apparently sparking the row;
- His allies claimed he would call the bluff of rebel Conservative MPs threatening to bring down the Government to stop a No Deal Brexit;
- Liz Truss, a Cabinet rank ally of Mr Johnson, warned it was not inevitable that he would be crowned Tory leader.
Yesterday, anarchists perched themselves on the steps of Miss Symonds’ flat to protest against her lover and his party’s policies. Six Class War supporters shouted abuse and held up posters reading ‘f*** Boris, f*** the government’.
Camberwell residents have also shown their distaste at having Mr Johnson as their neighbour and posters mocking him were put up before Friday’s altercation.
He stayed out of the spotlight yesterday as his campaign team held talks on how to deal with the crisis.
A friend of Mr Johnson and Miss Symonds told the Mail: ‘They’ve spent the weekend together after being driven out of their home in Camberwell and actually the events of the past few days have made them stronger than ever but they really shouldn’t have to put up with this nonsense. They’re in a very loving and stable relationship. They totally dote on one another.’
The domestic dispute was recorded by a neighbour and reported to police.
Neighbours claimed Miss Symonds could be heard screaming and telling Mr Johnson to ‘get off me’ and ‘get out of my flat’.
Sources last night claimed that in recent weeks there had been tensions between Miss Symonds and members of Mr Johnson’s leadership campaign team. In a sign of the acrimony, one aide who is working for Mr Johnson told friends they believed she had been helping Mr Javid, the Home Secretary, with his failed leadership bid.
The couple who recorded the row and shared it with The Guardian newspaper – Eve Leigh (pictured left leaving home) and Tom Penn (right as a couple) – claim they were worried about Carrie’s safety
The street outside Boris Johnson’s love nest descended into a circus at the weekend as campaigners swooped in. The group from Class War arrived at the apartment claiming Johnson wasn’t even fit to be a ‘Pie Minister’ and held up signs that read ‘F**k Boris. F**k the government’
Six members of the anti-establishment group – including veteran protester Ian Bone, once described as ‘The Most Dangerous Man in Britain’ – turned up outside the Grade II Listed building just before 2pm today. One protester held up a scrawled upon pillow case which read ‘Camberwell welcomes migrants not Boris’
A MP who is backing Mr Johnson said it was ‘probably best’ for the couple to decide whether or not to get married. ‘A decision needs to be made,’ the MP added.
A source involved in Mr Johnson’s leadership campaign said: ‘The bigger worry is that this brings his personal life into play more generally. Things that might previously have been seen as ‘not relevant’ or ‘not in scope’ suddenly become fair game.
Local Kirstie Lamont stood outside Miss Symonds’s flat yesterday holding a poster with a picture. When asked whether she thought the posters would make Miss Symonds feel uncomfortable living in her flat Ms Lamont said: ‘Well, move’
‘Some MPs have been worried about Carrie, but I think she’s politically savvy enough to know how to play things without causing damage to Boris.’
The street outside Boris Johnson’s love nest descended into a circus at the weekend as campaigners swooped in.
Simmering discontent among residents at their new neighbour exploded into the open after news broke of Mr Johnson’s angry row with his girlfriend Carrie Symonds.
Posters were plastered across railings opposite the South London flat mocking the Tory leadership contender, with one urging him to move back to a swankier part of the capital.
Anarchists stood on the steps of the building carrying posters and shouting. Seemingly using the incident as an excuse to protest against the Conservative party, one veteran warned the couple would ‘regret’ moving to the area.
Mr Johnson and Miss Symonds, 31, have not been seen at the Grade II listed building since police were called in the early hours of Friday.
The couple who recorded the row and shared it with The Guardian newspaper – Eve Leigh and Tom Penn – were also not home yesterday. Miss Leigh has admitted making an offensive gesture at Mr Johnson when they met on the steps of their building last week.
But neighbour Wayne Moseley, 47, defended the politician, saying he was a ‘cool guy’ who would chat on the steps while Mr Moseley smoked cannabis.
The film director – who goes by the name Yuppie Wayne – even criticised his neighbours for recording the argument.
Describing Mr Penn as a ‘peaceful guy’, he added: ‘I’ll be honest with you, neighbour to neighbour, no I don’t think it was very fair.
‘We all have domestic arguments with our partners.’ Describing how he would see Mr Johnson ‘all the time’, he said ‘I’ve met him on the doorstep, when I’m smoking my marijuana out here. I thought he was a cool guy.’
He said Mr Johnson had never said anything regarding him smoking cannabis and that he had never offered him any.
He said that Miss Symonds was a ‘nice girl, a pretty girl’. Mr Moseley recently sparked a police response after shooting a scene involving two fake guns with a millionaire former Big Brother housemate.
He spoke out as six anarchists from the anti-establishment group Class War staged a protest outside the flat. Standing outside the front door behind a banner, veteran anarchist Ian Bone, 71, called on Mr Johnson to come out, shouting ‘Looks like Boris is moving out anyway, can’t take the pressure’.
When asked whether his actions may drive a 31-year-old woman out of her flat, he said: ‘I don’t think she will come back – they will regret moving here and not Notting Hill or somewhere like that.
‘She’s not welcome here or any other working class area – and neither is he.’
The retired health worker was once arrested for public disorder after protesting outside a previous address of Mr Johnson in North London in 2016.
Another protester, who gave her name as Sorcha, has lived in the area nearly thirty years and said: ‘Refugees and migrants are welcome, Boris isn’t.’ Residents along the leafy street have also shown their distaste at having Mr Johnson as a neighbour.
Kirstie Lamont, 48, said: ‘This area is just not hostile. We probably wouldn’t throw yoghurt on him if he walked by. But we wouldn’t be inviting him around for dinner.’
When asked if the posters could make Miss Symonds feel unwelcome, she said: ‘Well, move. Sorry, that does sound very aggressive. Kensington and Chelsea, that’s more the area that he belongs.’
Another local resident – who was attending a dog show on the green opposite – said: ‘This is a pretty gentrified area, we’re all liberal here, so he doesn’t really fit in. I understand he’s just going to his girlfriend’s house, but the posters show he’s not exactly welcome.’
Class war anarchists descend on Boris and Carrie’s flat as it emerges she’s ‘too afraid to return’ after anti-Brexit neighbours called police on them and handed row recording to newspaper
By Bridie Pearson-Jones and Isabella Nikolic for the MailOnline
Anarchists staged a protest today outside the flat of Boris Johnson’s girlfriend Carrie Symonds after the 31-year-old said she is ‘too scared to return home’ following the furore that erupted over her row with him.
The protesters were from Class War and included Ian Bone, 71, who was once described as ‘the most dangerous man in Britain’ and recently faced criticism after accosting Jacob Rees-Mogg’s children.
It comes after a recording of the couple having a ‘plate smashing screaming row’ was handed to the police and the Guardian newspaper by their ardent Remainer neighbours Eve Leigh, 34, and Tom Penn, 30.
The group from Class War arrived at the apartment and held up signs that read ‘F**k Boris. F**k the government’.
Ms Symonds described the recordings, which hear her telling the Tory frontrunner, 55, ‘get off me’ and ‘get out of my flat’, as a as a ‘political stitch-up’.
Anarchists staged a protest today outside the flat where police were called following a row between Boris Johnson and his girlfriend. Leading the group was Ian Bone (back right) veteran protester who is known for accosting Jacob Rees-Mogg’s children
Signs up in the South London neighbour read ‘We’d rather endure him as our neighbour than our Prime Minster’ urged people stop Boris from getting the keys to 10 Downing Street
Members of the anti-establishment group – including veteran protester Bone turned up outside the Grade II Listed building just before 2pm today.
Bone who walks with a stick, garnered media attention last year when he told Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg’s young children ‘your daddy’s a horrible person’.
Two people stood on the steps outside Ms Symonds’s £750,000 Camberwell flat holding up a banner that read: ‘We must devastate the avenues where the wealthy live.’
The banner was emblazoned with the logo of anarchist group Class War – an organisation that originally started as a paper in 1982 but expanded into a political movement.
Quoting radical socialist Lucy Parsons, the poster seemed designed to intimidate – featuring a large skull and crossbones and two anarchy symbols.
One of the Class War mob – holding a sign that read ‘Camberwell welcomes migrants not Boris’ – said she would be happy for the Tory leadership candidate to ‘leave the planet’.
Asked if Johnson is fit to be Prime Minister, Bone said: ‘He certainly ain’t – he ain’t even fit to be a Pie Minister.’
Coming down from the steps outside the flat, he said: ‘We’ve had enough of old Etonians running the country. They’re all a cabinet of old Etonians. Why we put up with it I don’t know.’
‘I want Boris out of Camberwell’ she said.
‘We don’t need old middle class white men telling us what to do.
‘Go back to Eton or Highgate or wherever it is white middle class men come from.
‘I’m not asking for segregation, I’m asking Boris to f*** off out of Camberwell.’
She added: ‘People who preach hate speech are not welcome in our community.
Speaking at a hustings in Birmingham on Saturday, Boris Johnson did not mention the issue in his opening comments, insisting: ‘We need to get Brexit done… and I am the right man’
Carrie Symonds (pictured at his leadership launch earlier this month) is struggling after receiving hate mail at her flat in Camberwell, south London
‘The policies he’s going to put in are racist policies.
‘I’m not angry with Boris for what he’s says, I’m angry at Boris because he exists: the fact that the likes of him tell us what to do and how to do it.’
Leader of the group Bone added: ‘No more old Etonians, no more feudal aristocracy.
‘Come on out Boris! We know you’re hiding under your f***ing chaise lounge.
‘We’ve had enough of old Etonians, f*** off!’
He added: ‘Boris, when you look out of your window we’ll be there.
Local Jordana Leighton designed the posters which have been plastered around Camberwell Green that say ‘We’d rather endure him as our neighbour than our Prime Minister’
‘When you look down the street, we’ll be there.’
Coming down from the steps outside the flat, and repeating his disregard for so-called toffs Bone continued: ‘We’ve had enough of old Etonians running the country.
‘They’re all a cabinet of old Etonians. Why we put up with it I don’t know.
‘On the day Boris is declared Prime Minister there’ll be a blockade at Downing Street to stop him getting in or round to see the Queen..’
Asked if Johnson is fit to be Prime Minister, Bone said: ‘He certainly ain’t – he ain’t even fit to be a Pie Minister.’
The protesters moved on after about 20 minutes.
Class War tweeted a picture of Ms Symonds’s front door plastered in ‘F*** Boris’ stickers the day before her row with Johnson.
Alongside the picture they wrote: ‘Oh dear, someone’s stuck CW stickers all over Boris’ front door!’
Johnson and Ms Symonds have not been seen at the flat since police were called there in the early hours of Friday.
In September last year Bone faced criticism for accosting Jacob Rees-Mogg’s children.
He told them: ‘Your daddy’s a horrible person.
‘A lot of people don’t like your daddy, you know that. No he’s probably not told you about that.’
The father-of-five added: ‘A lot of people hate him.’
Bone refused to apologise or answer whether he would have felt he had been hassled by someone if they had done the same thing to him when his children were young.
Local Kirstie Lamont, stood outside Miss Symonds’s flat yesterday holding up the posters that have been plastered around Camberwell Green.
One was even placed on Johnson’s car, next to two parking tickets.
The posters, emblazoned with stars from the EU flag and a picture of Johnson’s face, read: ‘We’d rather endure him as our neighbour than our Prime Minister’.
Speaking yesterday Ms Lamont said: ‘Labour could all be dead and we’d still vote for them.’
When asked whether she thought the posters would make Ms Symonds feel uncomfortable living in her flat Ms Lamont said: ‘Well, move. Kensington and Chelsea is much more their kind of place.’