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Carrie Johnson and baby Romy join Nadine Dorries to watch Boris Johnson quit outside No 10

Outgoing prime minister thanks his wife and children for ‘putting up with so much for so long‘

May Bulman
Thursday 07 July 2022 13:47 BST
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Boris Johnson says being prime minister is 'best job in the world' during resignation speech

It was a tense moment as the crowd waited outside Downing Street for Boris Johnson to emerge to deliver his resignation speech - perhaps not least for his wife, Carrie Johnson.

The 34-year-old, who married Mr Johnson in May 2021 and has two young children with him, has been by the prime minister’s side throughout the ups and downs of the past three years.

But if she was feeling uneasy on Thursday, Mrs Johnson did well to hide it. Moments before her husband came out of No 10, she could be seen smiling with their seven-month-old daughter, Romy, in a sling.

(Getty Images)

It is believed to be the first time the Johnsons’ second child’s face has been seen in public, with pictures previously being taken from behind.

Mrs Johnson was standing with her husband’s close aides and next to cabinet member and loyal supporter of the outgoing prime minister, Nadine Dorries, who she was chatting to cheerfully.

During his resignation speech, Mr Johnson expressed sadness at finally announcing his resignation as prime minister, telling a crowd gathered outside Downing Street: “Them’s the breaks.”

He refrained from talking about the more than 50 resignations from government, or the collapse in support for him in the Conservative Party which saw five cabinet ministers quit in two days.

Mr Johnson also thanked wife, saying: “I want to thank Carrie, and our children and all the members of our family, who have had to put up with so much for so long.”

Before her marriage to the outgoing prime minister, Mr Johnson - previously Ms Symonds - described herself as a political and climate activist. She also worked in the Conservative Party media team.

It is unclear where she, Mr Johnson and their two children will live once they leave Downing Street.

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