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BORIS JOHNSON AND Carrie Symonds have announced that they are expecting a baby and that they have got engaged.
A spokesperson for the couple said: “The Prime Minister and Miss Symonds are very pleased to announce their engagement and that they are expecting a baby in the early summer.”
Johnson, 55, and Symonds, 31, made history as the first unmarried couple to officially live together in Downing Street when they moved in last year.
Symonds, a conservationist and former Conservative Party communications chief, first found herself making headlines when she was romantically linked to Johnson earlier in 2019.
But her association with Johnson dates back to when she worked on his successful re-election bid at City Hall in 2012.
Johnson’s union with Symonds will be his third marriage.
Earlier this month, a court heard that the Prime Minister and his estranged second wife Marina Wheeler were preparing to end their marriage after reaching an agreement over money.
A family court judge approved a financial settlement and gave Wheeler permission to apply for a divorce decree.
Johnson is believed to be the first prime minister to be divorced in office in modern times.
Wheeler and Johnson, who have four children, separated in 2018 after marrying in 1993.
The couple announced that they had separated in September 2018.
He was a childhood friend of Wheeler – the daughter of BBC journalist Charles Wheeler – when both were pupils at the European School in Brussels.
Johnson met his first wife, Allegra Mostyn-Owen, while they were students at Oxford.
They married in 1987, but the marriage was annulled in 1993.
In 2013, it emerged during another court hearing that Johnson had fathered a daughter during an adulterous liaison while Mayor of London in 2009.
In 2004, he was sacked from the Tory frontbench over a reported affair with journalist Petronella Wyatt.
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Nepotism alive and well.
@fergusob:
Sinn Fein will be furious.
Not a racist misogynist anywhere to be seen.
This is not the change that people voted for.
@Brinster: ah yeah Eamon Ryan blatantly uses the N word but no racist in site… but you’re right this isn’t the change and most likely wont last.
@Brinster: have a closer look at the FF and FG parliamentary parties, you will find a few there!! As for their councillors
@Gareth: ….in sight even…
@Gareth: Ryan might be a lot of things but he is not a racist……..
@fergusob: we had the opportunity to get rid of the Senate, we said no.
@Sean Higgins: Agreed. I think a lot of people just like to jump on the racist band wagon. That’s not to say racism doesn’t exist in Ireland. It certainly does. But Eamon Ryan? No.
@TheCraftyCulchie: didn’t Fianna Fáil offer condolences on the death of Hitler. I mean come on. As for it’s attitude to women and homosexuals. Well need I say more.
@Gareth: the cheapest of cheap shots.
@fergusob: Then get all your buddies to vote for a party that will pass a law to make it illegal to employ your friends/relatives in a job in your own office….
7 years ago Regina was the Deputy Director of the Seanad Abolition campaign. Now she’s lost her seat she is happy to be Leader of the Seanad…
@Anna:
Not sure if you heard about it Anna, but there was a vote on this and the Irish people decided to retain the Seanad?
@Brinster: you’re missing the point of the comment Brinster.
@Anna: I’m no supporter of Doherty, But, The people of this Country VOTED to retain the Seanad. The Seanad is still very relevant , So She being nominated is not a problem for her. I must say, I have a problem with the fact that She was nominated at all ,because She could not hold her Dail Seat. Likewise, Timmy Dooley, – who also could not win aSeanad seat,- , Lorainne Clifford-Lee likewise . There are surely other New talent out there that could be given a chance.
@Brinster: oh my god.
Maybe now Regina can settle her bill with the Revenue and others
@Eugene Comaskey: Fitzpatrick ran 4 times for election and failed to be elected. Surely that sdeems her unelectable. Same goes for Ronan Mullan, regected at council, national and Euro level. The university Seanad seats must go.
A college dropout in charge of Higher education,innovation & Science! God help us all, none of them have a clue, maybe it’s a good thing they get their orders from the EU! ( for now anyway)
@Colette Kearns: Looks like we will have an ineffective opposition. The moaning has started again and NO positive input.
@Colette Kearns: Ray McSharry never completed Secondary School and he was a very fine politician at local and European level. BTW, did Pearse Doherty complete his third level Education?. I think he is a very capable Public Representative, although I am no Sinn Fein suporter
@Colette Kearns: Bill Gates was a dropout, so was Richard Bysnson, Mafk Zickerberg, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Ted Turner, David Murdpck, Steve Jobs,David Geffen, Michael Dell… so it doesn’t have to be a pre-requisite to be good at something… unlike Bertie.. a failed accountant… : -)
Money for nothing and the picks are free..
“Recreating a second Dáil does the country no favours.” Regina Doherty.. .She wasn’t long changing her mind
@Seamus Bridgeman: Unfortunately the voters decided to retain the bloody thing.
@Seamus Bridgeman: James Reilly headed the campaign for FG saying it was outdated and undemocratic.
When he lost his seat in 2016 and Kenny appointed him to the ‘upper house’ he said he considered it an honour and a privilege.
@Seamus Bridgeman: She owes them!
The picture is becoming clear now and I’m really disappointed with Catherine Martin to see her support bought with a cushy job for a family member.
I mistakenly thought she might have been an actual voice for change in government but this trade of beliefs for personal gain is the oldest of old politics.
@Rochelle: they learn very quickly. Lets she who she will hire as her personal assistant.
@Rochelle: I’m feeling the very same
Well Martins appointment of Timmy Dooley as a senator has set the tone, and its not a good one. The people of Clare did not vote for this man in the election for good reason. He failed in his own bid for senator for good reason, but Mehole seems to know better then the electorate. New Taoiseach, same arrogance.
Was nomination of her brother Vincent P Martin Catherine Martins pay for support?
Depressing
He would have done anything to be taoiseach, even the unspeakable for FF as it turns out.
@Thomas Murphy: Can’t be that unspeakable with a hefty 70% plus FF’ers voting for it…. :-)
Catherine Martin, her husband and her brother. No Comment
@Michael Burke: Who would you employ? Someone you don’t know? Or someone that will be loyal and you know won’t let you down in the heat of the moment… :-)
They’ll make all the difference. Not
Completely void of integrity. How can he enjoy this?? Surely in the back of his mind he knows he is lower than a snakes belly. He must be going around today feeling like someone on a morning after doing the walk of shame.
@Andy mc Laughlin: MM has sold his soul to be the gaffer. He does not care what oeiple think. He will prob reture aftee this stint.
Emer currie doesn’t her family come from overseas as leo would say.it amazes me that the 11 nominees from government are usually people that have been rejected by the electorate
@matthew o reilly: Is she a daughter of Austin Currie?
The words “ran unsuccessfully in the February general election” appear far too often in that list.
Good old Wishy Washy Michael Martin gets in through the back door
@Anne Busher Collins: Party with the most seats.. :-)
@Kieran Brady: Sinn fein will run enough candidates to get a majority next time dont worry Kieran
Delighted to see Regina Doherty’s appointment to leader of the Seanad. By any standards she was one of the stand out performers during the pandemic.
@Fionn Darland: are you drunk……€350 for students of millionaire families
@Fionn Darland: Except paying back debts, Regina doesn’t do debts, but she does do false numbers on dole fraud which she helped prince vanity socks leo parade till it was discovered they were false…..but ya she embodies the typical FFG politician
Didn’t Regina Doherty publically retire from politics after getting the bullet in the last general election
as useful as a handbrake in a canoe you wouldn’t thrust them picking stony
Jobs for the boys….and girls.
Who’s going to vote for Timmy?
Brown envelopes all around
dimmey tooley noooooooooo
Why if we have another article complaining about the quantity of female TDS appointed are they not complaining about only 18% of Seanad appointments being male
@lorcmulv: because feminism is not about equality, they just use that as a mask. It’s about superiority.
Delighted to see a traveller activist appointed as a senator. I hope she gets on with David Norris. Is that naughty?
@feargal wash your hands de cantuin: The only good appointment.
Looks like there’s a split in the offing for green party with appointment if P Hackett. M Martin s vanity project looks set to be short lived.
Mary Fitzpatrick?? Dear God.
Ireland voted for every tom dick and harry in the last election and this is the end result
So quit complaining,
No attempt made to address the complete lack of representation for our ethnic minority communities (Travellers excepted) just a chance to give old FF party hacks like Timmy Dooley and Msry Fitzpatrick a consolation prize.
@James Walsh: You do know that imigration is good for this country but said immigrants will never be selected to run for the Dail or Seanad or find there way into RTE, (RTE have a young black female presenter on Nationwide). Though I daresay that will be RTE’s only contribution to integration as they like to keep things in-house in the form if nepotism.
And leo????
@BriP75: tánaiste
I think we’ll get more done with this government in 2 years than FG did in the last 10. I wish them the best.
Brown envelopes all around for all politicians
A profound liar is now the tea-shock
Stand for election to the Dáil and be rejected by the general electorate.
Stand for election to the Seanad and be rejected by the restricted electorate.
Appointed to the Seanad.
Not democratic!
Well done good and faithful servant….
Isn’t it amazing how the voters can firmly reject a TD at election time, vote them out of office and then watch helplessly as they are reinstated to prominent positions? This is democracy, where the voters decide through a democratic vote who the want in the Oireachtas, at its best. Voters wishes clearly disregarded by their elected representatives.
The Irish political system is hilarious.
The political version of Covid-19, the absolute worst possible outcome, democracy is officially dead in Ireland.
The Irish people had it’s chance at the get rid of this retirement home for lost causes but voted instead to keep it at a cost of 100k p.a.for each of senator! It’s a joke when we see families out there paying thousands for child care per week and careers can get Respite what a country especially when the country did not vote for this Government.This sends a message to the youth of Ireland. It’s not what you know it’s who you know and we need to change this when we vote in future please.
HE BOUGHT HIS WAY THERE, NO SHAME
Lisa chambers Timmy dooley sums up the system
Thought Lisa Chambers would have got a seat!
@Joe L: She must’ve displeased Mee-hawl, or did she get one through one of the panels?
Look after the pqls
The Irish people had it’s chance at the get rid of this retirement home for lost causes but voted instead to keep it at a cost of 100k p.a.for each of these senators! It’s a joke when we see families out there paying thousands for child care per week and careers cannot get Respite what a country especially when the country did not vote for this Government.This sends a message to the youth of Ireland. It’s not what you know it’s who you know and we need to change this when we vote in future please.
Lora lora ladies
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