Tory donor demands Boris comes clean about tangled love life

‘He cannot maraud around taking advantage of women’: New blow for Boris as Tory’s second biggest donor demands he come clean about Carrie row, extramarital affairs and how many children he has

  • Tory donor John Griffin has demanded Boris Johnson comes clean over love life
  • Mr Johnson has refused to comment on row with girlfriend Carrie Symonds, 31
  • Controversy has sparked wider questions about Tory front runner’s character 

John Griffin, who has given millions of pounds to the party, said Mr Johnson needed to convince the public he could be ‘trusted’

One of the Tories’ biggest donors today waded into the row over Boris Johnson’s fitness to by PM – demanding he comes clean about his tangled love life. 

John Griffin, who has given millions of pounds to the party, said Mr Johnson needed to convince the public he could be ‘trusted’.

He argued the leadership front runner should speak out about his extramarital affairs, saying a PM could not ‘maraud around taking advantage of women’. 

The stinging criticism comes as Mr Johnson struggles to control the storm triggered by his blazing row with girlfriend Carrie Symonds in the early hours of Friday morning.

Neighbours at the flat in south east London called the police, who took no further action. But the episode, and Mr Johnson’s flat refusal to talk about it, has sparked a wider backlash over his character.

His allies accused rival Jeremy Hunt of ‘ridiculous name calling’ today after he branded the Tory front runner a ‘bottler’ for refusing to take part in a TV debate.

In an extraordinary full-frontal assault, the Foreign Secretary said Mr Johnson was ‘disrespecting’ party members by refusing to face scrutiny and taunted that he was ‘going to lose’ the battle for the leadership. 

The dramatic escalation came as Sky News cancelled its head-to-head debate that had been scheduled tomorrow because of the snub.

Mr Johnson has agreed to an ITV debate on July 9, but some activists will already have voted by then, with postal ballots due to go out on July 6.

Boris Johnson (pictured at hustings in Birmingham on Saturday) has flatly refused to answer questions about the episode

Boris Johnson (pictured at hustings in Birmingham on Saturday) has flatly refused to answer questions about the episode

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

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

Mr Johnson has been facing demands to talk about how many children he has – after it was revealed in court proceedings that he has fathered two offspring in extramarital affairs.

Boris and Carrie still ‘very much in love’ 

 Boris Johnson and his girlfriend Carrie Symonds have been spotted looking smitten with friends saying they are still ‘very much in love’ despite a late-night row that saw the police called in by neighbours.

Today new and exclusive images of Boris and Carrie have emerged showing them hand-in-hand and smiling in the Sussex countryside yesterday afternoon, undermining claims their relationship is in crisis. 

A friend of the couple has told MailOnline that claims they are 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 the couple 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. 

In 2013 it emerged that Mr Johnson had fathered a child in an extramarital affair with Helen Macintyre, a professional art consultant, and the Court of Appeal ruled that the public did have the right to know about it after a privacy battle to keep the birth a secret. 

The daughter was alleged during court proceedings to be the second child fathered by Mr Johnson as a result of an affair, according to The Guardian. 

He could also become the first PM in 250 years to get divorced while in Downing Street, after he announced he was splitting from Marina Wheeler as he unveiled his relationship with Miss Symonds last year. 

Mr Griffin, who stood down as chairman of Addison Lee in 2014, told the Guardian that Mr Johnson should answer questions about the row at the flat. 

‘We deserve an explanation about that row, and he has to handle it properly. He can’t assume that we are going to support him when he has not explained every detail,’ he said. 

‘It is likely that he is going to become the PM and most members want to support him. But if I did anything wrong, I would need to explain. Because he hasn’t, it is a real worry.’

Mr Griffin also said his family situation should be spelled out clearly.

‘Each of his children need his love and attention. But he needs to show that he has given it to them. He cannot say that it is irrelevant. It is highly relevant. It is one of the ways you measure a person,’ he said.

‘He may very well be the best father ever, but he needs to tell us about it. It is a fair question,’ he said.

Mr Griffin added: ‘We need to know if he can be trusted because he will get even more attention from women if he becomes PM. I would be concerned if he went marauding around, taking advantage of women by using his position. It would not be right at all.’ 

In 2013 it emerged that Mr Johnson had fathered a child in an extramarital affair with Helen Macintyre (pictured), a professional art consultant

In 2013 it emerged that Mr Johnson had fathered a child in an extramarital affair with Helen Macintyre (pictured), a professional art consultant

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