Social media users are poking fun at photos of a loved-up Boris Johnson relaxing in a garden with his girlfriend Carrie Symonds shortly after news of their furious late-night row hit the headlines.
The new and exclusive images of the pair show them hand-in-hand and smiling in the Sussex countryside yesterday afternoon, undermining claims their relationship is in crisis.
But sceptics quickly contrasted the idyllic scenes with accounts of their plate-smashing argument on Friday.
One Twitter user jokingly accused the Tory leadership hopeful, 55, of ‘violating his own privacy’, while another compared the ‘everything’s fine’ image to a scene from Alan Partridge.
Others published versions of the pictures that had been crudely edited to compare them to an Ikea furniture advert and a Mills and Boon novel.
It comes as rumours began circulating around Westminster that the photos were staged – a claim vigorously denied by Mr Johnson’s team. Instead, fingers were pointed at Ms Symonds, a PR specialist. ‘If they were staged, there is only one other person who it could be,’ the source added.
Mr Johnson is under increasing pressure to explain what happened during Friday’s incident, which led to neighbours calling the police. Officers later confirmed no offences had been committed.
Images of a loved up Boris Johnson relaxing in a garden with his girlfriend Carrie Symonds emerged yesterday. But sceptical Twitter users were quick to poke fun at the picture of idyllic togetherness in light of the couple’s furious row
The new images of the pair show them smiling in the Sussex countryside yesterday, undermining claims their relationship is in crisis. But this Twitter user was unconvinced, quipping that Boris had ‘invaded his own privacy’
One Twitter user posted a version of the picture that had been crudely edited to compare them to an Ikea furniture advert
Rosalynd Southern compared the ‘everything’s fine’ image to a scene from Alan Partridge, as rumours circulated they were staged
The claim has been vigorously denied by Mr Johnson’s team. Instead, fingers were pointed at Ms Symonds, a PR specialist. ‘If they were staged, there is only one other person who it could be,’ the source added
This Twitter user also made fun of the image by comparing Mr Johnson and Ms Symonds to a pair of puppets
‘Amanda’ posted a picture Worzel Gummidge with his girlfriend Aunt Sally in another tweet mocking Mr Johnson
This Twitter user was also less than convinced that the image told the whole story – despite the insistence of Mr Johnson’s allies
‘Morten Morland’ made reference to another of yesterday’s controversies – claims that Mr Johnson has met several times with President Trump’s former adviser Steve Bannon
Mr Johnson is under increasing pressure to explain what happened during Friday’s incident, which led to neighbours calling the police
Officers later confirmed no offences had been committed. Pictured is a mocked-up Mills & Boon romantic novel cover
Rumours circulating around Westminster that the photos were staged have been vigorously denied by Mr Johnson’s team
Friends of the couple have insisted the couple ‘love each other very much’ despite the rumours being circulated that their relationship is in difficulty
This tweet posted by an account on the Isle of Wight mocked Mr Johnson’s ally Bob Seely – who has tried to pour cold water on the scandal
‘Boris cannot maraud around taking advantage of women’: Tories’ second biggest donor demands Johnson comes clean about Carrie row, extramarital affairs and how many children he has
By James Tapsfield and David Wilcox for MailOnline
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 has 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’ yesterday 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
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.
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.
In an extraordinary full-frontal assault, Jeremy Hunt (pictured campaigning in Bristol yesterday) said Boris Johnson was ‘disrespecting’ party members by refusing to face scrutiny
In 2013 it emerged that Mr Johnson had fathered a child in an extramarital affair with Helen Macintyre (pictured), a professional art consultant
‘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.’
Mr Johnson has been accused of hiding in his bunker by avoiding the encounter, as well as shunning interviews – including with Piers Morgan – and limiting questions from journalists.
But former Cabinet minister Priti Patel said this morning that the ‘name-calling’ was part of a Remainer conspiracy to stop Mr Johnson pushing through Brexit.
And another supporter, Marcus Fysh, said it was ‘ridiculous’ to claim Mr Johnson was a coward.
At hustings over the weekend, Mr Johnson flatly refused to address the explosive row with Ms Symonds, 31.
Neighbours called the police, who took no action, before handing the recording to the Guardian.
In a round of broadcast interviews yesterday, Mr Hunt said: ‘On the question of debates, he is being a coward.
‘It is very disrespectful to say that you’re not going to appear in any head-to-head debates in the two weeks when (party members) can see you before they’ve actually voted.
‘People need to know what you’re going to do and you need to answer those questions.’
Mr Johnson remained tight-lipped about the spat with Miss Symonds when he was grilled at a hustings for party members in Birmingham over the weekend.
But MailOnline yesterday obtained exclusive images of the couple hand-in-hand and smiling in the Sussex countryside yesterday afternoon, undermining claims their relationship is in crisis.
A friend dismissed claims they were splitting up as 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.
Mr Hunt, who has insisted Mr Johnson should answer questions on ‘everything’, said yesterday that his opponent was trying to ‘slink through the back door’ of No 10 and avoid public debate.
‘One of the strengths of our system is that we scrutinise our politicians with more intelligent ferocity than anywhere else in the world. But in this case it just isn’t happening,’ he said in an article for The Times.
‘Nothing could be worse for a new prime minister in these challenging times than to come to power with a fake contest.
Mr Johnson has turned down a slew of interview requests including from GMB’s Piers Morgan (pictured talking to Mr Hunt yesterday)
Sturgeon gloats as poll finds PM Boris could fuel Scottish independence
Nicola Sturgeon (pictured) said Boris Johnson would be a ‘disaster’
Nicola Sturgeon has gloated that Boris Johnson will be a ‘disaster’ for the Tories – as a poll found Scots could vote for independence.
The SNP leader delivered a withering assessment of the would-be PM, saying he would ‘damage the UK’s reputation’.
The attack came after a Panelbase poll found Mr Johnson taking charge at Downing Street could put the union at risk.
A narrow majority of 51 per cent would currently vote no to independence, according to the research.
But when people were asked for their intentions if Mr Johnson becomes premier, the proportion against would drop to 47 per cent.
Speaking on Sky News’ Sophy Ridge, Ms Sturgeon said: ‘He will be devastating, disastrous for the Conservatives UK-wide.’
She said: ‘Brexit has damaged the UK’s international reputation but close behind that, Boris Johnson’s tenure has damaged the UK’s reputation…
‘I find it quite hard to get my head around that knowing everything they know about him, they are contemplating putting him in No10.’
‘I am not interested in debating Boris’s private life. But I do want to quiz him on how he can ‘guarantee’ we will leave the EU on October 31 if Parliament votes to stop a No Deal Brexit, as it did in March.
‘I want to know what he really means by ‘reviewing’ HS2 or his ‘grave reservations’ about the third runway – surely he has had long enough to decide what he thinks?
‘Don’t be a coward Boris, man up and show the nation you can cope with the intense scrutiny the most difficult job in the country will involve.’
‘You cannot become Prime Minister and not answer questions about the decisions you are going to have to make about Brexit immediately.
‘The real danger we have got with Boris not coming on the show is that he is going to come to power on a very fragile coalition. ‘
Interviewed by Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid on ITV’s GMB, Mr Hunt said Mr Johnson was stoking up trouble as his supporters included people who want No Deal taken off the table, as well as those who favour it.
‘Sometimes in politics you can fudge and get away with it, but in the case of Brexit, you are going to have to make decisions immediately and that very fragile coalition will collapse immediately,’ he said.
‘If that happens, we won’t have another leadership contest, we will have Jeremy Corbyn in Number 10 and then there won’t be any Brexit at all. One thing he won’t be able to do is deliver Brexit.’
But former Cabinet minister Priti Patel, a Johnson backer, lashed out at ‘name calling’ against him.
‘I do see many of the criticisms and the personal attacks and some of the name calling that has been associated and levelled at Boris, particularly now because of this leadership contest, is very much there to deflect from the fact that he is a Brexit candidate and wants to take us out of the European Union,’ she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
‘Quite frankly, this has now become very much Remain versus Leave and a personal attack and campaign against Boris, because they can see he can deliver for our country as he delivered in London.’
Sky News said Tuesday’s planned debate would not go ahead unless Boris Johnson agreed to take part, but offered an alternative date of July 1 in an effort to get both candidates to appear.
Jacob Rees-Mogg slams neighbours who called police on Boris as ‘Corbynista curtain twitchers’
Jacob Rees Mogg yesterday blasted neighbours who called the police on Boris Johnson and his girlfriend as ‘Corbynista curtain twitchers’.
The Tory MP also hit out at anarchists who have set up camp outside PM hopeful Johnson’s South London home after a recording of the couple’s late night row was leaked.
Mr Rees Mogg branded the protest by anti establishment group Class War as ‘absolutely dreadful’ forcing the Tory leadership favourite, 55, and partner Carrie Symonds, 31, to flee.
The ERG chief , who was also targeted by the same anarchist group in September last year, when they barked insults at his children outside his London home, said the events are ‘not a good place for politics to be.’
Anarchists staged a protest yesterday outside the flat where police were called following a row between Boris Johnson and his girlfriend. Leading the group was Ian Bone (front right), a veteran protester who is known for previously accosting Jacob Rees-Mogg’s children
Mr Rees Mogg yesterday branded the protest by anti establishment group Class War as ‘absolutely dreadful’ forcing the Tory leadership favourite, 55, and partner Carrie Symonds, 31, to flee.
Mr Rees Mogg (pictured holding one of his children, was also targeted by the same anarchist group in September last year (pictured)
It comes as Boris and Carrie were spotted looking smitten with friends saying they are still ‘very much in love.’ The couple went into hiding after their neighbours Eve Leigh and Tom Penn recorded their angry row and gave it to the press over the weekend.
Mr Rogg told LBC yesterday: ‘I think it is absolutely dreadful, I really do.
‘I think the idea that snooping neighbours are recording what is going on for political advantage and then class war protestors are coming to politician’s front door, which happened to me as well, is not a good place for politics to be.
‘I think that politicians should feel safe and unmolested in their own homes. I think that that is a reasonable thing to ask for. I think peaceful protest is absolutely right and part of a free society.
‘But the aggression of the hard left is really appalling and not how British politics has normally been carried out, and snoopers are always unattractive.