All hail Queen Carrie! Boris Johnson’s fiancée ‘rules the roost’ when it comes to personnel decisions, Tatler claims – as a source reveals ‘who she trusts and who has her ear is hugely important’
- Carrie Symonds has influence over the PM’s personnel decisions, Tatler claims
- Society bible spoke to a number of sources close to Carrie and Boris Johnson
- Told how ‘Queen Carrie’ has played a part in helping friends progress in politics
Carrie Symonds is the ‘queen’ of Downing Street and ‘rules the roost’ when it comes to the Prime Minister’s personnel decisions, sources told Tatler magazine.
Unnamed sources close to the couple, who are expecting their first child together this summer, spoke to the society bible about how Miss Symonds’ influence over her future husband extends far beyond his wardrobe, hair, or drinking habits.
Here, in an extract from the article shared with FEMAIL, which appears in full in the April issue of Tatler, sources point to how Miss Symonds, 31, a savvy political operative in her own right, seems to have played a role in shaping the careers of those in her inner circle, including Sajid Javid, Rishi Sunak and Zac Goldsmith.
As one puts it: ‘Who she trusts and who has her ear is hugely important. If you are a cabinet minister trying to survive, you’d do well to start getting on with her.
Carrie Symonds wields significant power when it comes to the Prime Minister’s staffing decisions, a source told Tatler magazine. Pictured, the couple together in September 2019
The tabloids often talk, somewhat predictably, about the ‘taming’ effect she has had on Boris.
He stopped drinking during the election campaign, apparently on her instruction. She made him lose weight, go vegan (briefly), spend more time outdoors and clip his wild hair. Friends scoff at such analysis. ‘As if that’s all she does!’ exclaims one.
Another explains that, while Dominic Cummings, Boris’s key adviser, may be the driving force behind government policy, ‘Queen Carrie’ rules the roost when it comes to personnel.
The queen of No. 10: Miss Symonds, a savvy political operative in her own right, has been able to help shape the paths of her inner circle, dubbed ‘FOC’s’, for Friends of Carrie
‘The cannier people in No 10 have figured out that she is a non-negotiable factor as far Boris is concerned,’ he says. ‘Anybody who comes after the queen isn’t going to get very far.’
The FOC’s – Friends of Carrie – now find themselves in charge of the country. Carrie was Sajid Javid’s spad [special advisor]: he became chancellor of the exchequer.
Read the full feature in the April issue of Tatler available via digital download and newsstands now
Rishi Sunak, her ally, catapulted to chief secretary to the Treasury, then chancellor when Javid resigned.
Zac Goldsmith, her close friend and fellow eco-warrior, lost his seat in Richmond last year, despite Carrie’s campaigning on his behalf, but has been given a seat in the House of Lords, so he can continue as environment minister.
Nobody would suggest – heaven forbid! – that these FOCs didn’t deserve their appointments. But it seems naïve to say that their closeness to Carrie had nothing at all to do with their advancement.
‘Who she trusts and who has her ear is hugely important,’ says a No 10 source. ‘If you are a cabinet minister trying to survive, you’d do well to start getting on with her.’
Read the full feature in the April issue of Tatler available via digital download and newsstands now.