Boris Johnson reaches court settlement with estranged wife Marina Wheeler

Judge gives permission for divorce decree application

Boris Johnson and his estranged wife Marina Wheeler have reached a financial settlement, a family court judge in London has heard.

Neither Mr Johnson nor Ms Wheeler were present at the hearing in the Central Family Court, which lasted 10 minutes. They were both represented by barristers.

Judge Sarah Gibbons gave Ms Wheeler permission to seek a divorce decree, which would dissolve their marriage.

Judge Gibbons allowed her to apply “out of time”, as the decree must normally be made within a year of the granting of an initial divorce decree.

The pair, who married in 1993 and have four children, separated in 2018 after 25 years of marriage.

They first met while attending the European School in Brussels as children, and married after the annulment of Mr Johnson’s marriage to his first wife, Allegra Mostyn-Owen.

Announcing their separation in September 2018, they said: “As friends we will continue to support our four children in the years ahead.”

The case number of Tuesday’s hearing indicated that the two had been in a dispute about money or assets.

The case was listed on public court documents as Wheeler v Johnson, showing that Ms Wheeler had brought litigation and that Mr Johnson was the “respondent”.

Mr Johnson’s personal life has long been under public scrutiny.

The Appeal Court ruled in 2013 that the public had a right to know that he had fathered a daughter during an affair while he was the Mayor of London.

Previously, he was sacked as shadow arts minister in 2004 after it was reported he had had an affair with journalist Petronella Wyatt.

Mr Johnson currently lives in Downing Street with his girlfriend, Carrie Symonds.

Additional reporting from PA