Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds news - live: PM to take paternity leave by June after fiancée gives birth to son
Couple welcome 'healthy baby boy'
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Your support makes all the difference.Boris Johnson and his fiancée, Carrie Symonds, have announced the birth of their first child.
On Wednesday 29 April, a spokesperson for the couple said: “The Prime Minister and Ms Symonds are thrilled to announce the birth of a healthy baby boy at a London hospital earlier this morning. Both mother and baby are doing very well. The PM and Ms Symonds would like to thank the fantastic NHS maternity team.”
Follow our live blog for updates on the birth.
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'Paternity' is now trending on Twitter as people question whether or not Boris will take paternity leave and if so, for how long.
Boris is entitled to two weeks of paternity leave just like every father in the country.
He has previously suggested he intends to take paternity leave, but this is no longer clear given the coronavirus outbreak.
Several Labour MPs have offered their congratulations to Boris and Carrie, including Angela Rayner and Daniel Zeichner.
Many people have praised the 'wonderful news' as a bit of positivity in these dark times.
Ladbrokes have said that the frontrunners for the name are currently Winston and George.
Hi father's name, Stanley, is also among the favourites.
The public has been reminded of when Boris was criticised for his hesitancy over whether he would be taking a hands on approach to childcare: namely changing his baby's nappy.
During an appearance on ITV’s This Morning, the politician gave a series of incomplete sentences and was reluctant to answer. When pushed further he replied: “I expect so, I expect so.”
Read more below.
Boris 'expected to take paternity leave later in the year'
Reports are claiming that the prime minister will delay taking his two weeks of paternity leave until 'firm' decisions have been made regarding the UK lockdown.
Many social media users are asking how many children Boris Johnson has. The exact number remains unclear.
It is believed that the prime minister has seven children, however, he has not officially confirmed the exact number.
What is known is that the prime minister and his second wife, Marina Wheeler, who separated in 2018, have four children together: Lara Lettice, 27, Milo Arthur, 25, Cassia Peaches, 23, and Theodore Apollo, 21.
Read more here.
People are expressing sympathy for Carrie Symonds given that prior to giving that it was just a few weeks ago that Boris was in the ICU with Covid-19 and she too was experiencing symptoms.
Now she has given birth and it is not clear whether or not Boris will be taking paternity leave to help her care for their newborn son.
This is Carrie Symonds' first child. The 31-year-old has been romantically involved Boris since 2018.
She is the daughter of The Independent co-founder Matthew Symonds and lawyer Josephine Mcaffee, was born on 17 March 1988 and raised in southwest London.
Read more about Carrie and her background below.
Boris is the fourth prime minister to have a baby while in office.
Preceding Boris in having children while in office is David Cameron, Tony Blair and Lord John Russell.
See the full list here.
888Sport reveals latest favourites for baby names include Wilfred, which would be after Boris' grandfather.
Also included on the list is Winston, thought to be after Winston Churchill, Donald (Trump?) and Brexit, which would be rather strange.
Here's the full list:
- Wilfred at 7/2
- Winston at 8/1
- Stanley at 10/1
- Michael at 17/1
- Dominic at 33/1
- Matt at 50/1
- Rishi at 100/1
- Donald at 33/1
- Vladimir at 100/1
- Brexit at 500/1
An 888sport spokesman said: “After the news that Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds have announced the birth of their son – attention has quickly turned to the baby name. We think Wilfred is the most likely, which would be a fitting tribute to Boris’ grandfather.
“George and Thomas also feature heavily in the betting – as do a few of the Prime Minister’s cabinet members, though the 500/1 for baby ‘Brexit’ means that moniker may be best saved for a middle name.”
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