First Lady: Intrigue at the Court of Carrie and Boris Johnson, by Michael Ashcroft

 

Carrie Johnson is not only the consort of the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson; she is also considered by some to be the second most powerful unelected woman in Britain after the Queen. Since she moved into Downing Street in July 2019, questions have been raised about her perceived influence, her apparent desire to control events, and the number of her associates who have been appointed to positions of standing in the government machine. So, are these concerns justified?

 

In this carefully researched unauthorised biography, Michael Ashcroft charts the extraordinary ascent of Mrs Johnson, speaking to multiple sources who have been close to her and to Boris Johnson in recent years to produce a fascinating portrait of a woman who is still under the age of thirty-five.

 

The book scrutinises Mrs Johnson’s colourful family, her attempt to become a professional actress, and her early decision to work in politics. Long before she moved into No. 10, Mrs Johnson made a name for herself as a Conservative Party press aide before becoming a special adviser to two Cabinet ministers and eventually director of communications at Conservative campaign headquarters. Aside from politics, she is also the mother of two young children and campaigns in the fields of the environment and animal welfare.

 

Carrie Johnson is without doubt a very modern prime ministerial spouse. This examination of her career and life offers the electorate the chance to assess exactly what role she plays in Boris Johnson’s unpredictable administration and why that matters.

 

‘Regurgitated lies,’ says Carrie Johnson as Lord Ashcroft’s new biography debuts

 

The former Conservative Party deputy chairman’s latest book has been dubbed ‘sexist’ by defenders of the Prime Minister’s wife

 

By Anya Meyerowitz

14 February 2022

https://www.tatler.com/article/carrie-johnson-lord-ashcroft-biography-sexist-attacks-criticism

 

Lord Ashcroft is no stranger to writing books on political figures, previously penning biographies on Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, but his latest seems set to be his most controversial yet. His book about the Prime Minister’s wife, First Lady: Intrigue at the Court of Carrie and Boris Johnson, debuts next month, and has already sparked allegations of ‘sexist’ attacks – now even prompting a response from its subject herself.

 

The book, currently being serialised in the Mail on Sunday, includes claims that Carrie often took time off work to enjoy holidays abroad, such as in St Tropez, Mustique, Tuscany, Paris and New York; and that she allegedly expensed taxis she booked under the names of junior aides while working as the Conservative Party’s director of communications. 

 

According to the Times, a spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s wife has dismissed such accusations, stating: ‘These regurgitated lies regarding Mrs Johnson’s employment record are spiteful and damaging. Carrie left her role to pursue her passion in ocean conservation and later in animal welfare.’

 

Lord Ashcroft reportedly rebuffed the response, saying Boris Johnson’s attention had been diverted by ‘arguments about wallpaper, his Caribbean holiday, Downing Street parties and the behaviour of Dilyn the dog’ and dubbing Carrie a ‘legitimate subject’ for a biography.

 

The latest comments come after Carrie’s spokesperson previously said of the book: ‘Yet again Mrs Johnson has been targeted by a brutal briefing campaign against her by enemies of her husband. This is just the latest attempt by bitter ex-officials to discredit her. She is a private individual who plays no role in government.’

 

In the biography, currently available to pre-order ahead of its official release on 29 March, former Conservative Party deputy chairman Lord Ashcroft also accuses Boris Johnson of appointing staff because ‘Carrie would be cross with him’ if he did not, sacking officials she disliked and reversing settled government policy after his wife criticised it.

 

One of the book’s sources likens their ‘toxic’ relationship to a Greek tragedy, saying: ‘He could have been a great prime minister but his lack of discipline, which led him to get involved with Carrie, has cost him. His potential to transform the country has been squandered and, as far as I’m concerned, it’s because of her.’

 

Ashcroft’s biography also alleges that Mrs Johnson, then Symonds, began pursuing the PM when he was foreign secretary and still married to his second wife Marina, in an attempt to get herself appointed as his chief of staff.

 

A number of commentators have weighed in defending the Prime Minister’s wife, including Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid. When asked about the biography during a Sky News interview, Javid said: ‘It’s sexist. First rule, I think, the partners of politicians should be off limits. Why would you go after, attack, the partners of politicians?

 

‘Going after Carrie Johnson is undignified, it’s unfair and it’s just wrong. She has no formal role in government... why is she any different to anyone who came before her as a partner of a prime minister?’

 

Sarah Vine, the former wife of Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary Michael Gove, echoed Javid’s words, saying that there was ‘more than a whiff of misogyny’ in the criticism, which she called ‘the political equivalent of slut-shaming’.