Boris Johnson has been ahead in the Tory leadership race since announcing his candidacy. But now after a neighbour called police after hearing shouting, plate-smashing and a woman shouting “get off me” and “get out” at the south London home the Uxbridge MP shares with 31-year-old girlfriend Carrie Symonds, the Tory MP has taken a hit in the polls. Now Carrie’s ex-boyfriend has spoken out about his “tumultuous relationship” with the former PR executive.
Carrie is the daughter of Matthew Symonds, one of the founders of the newspaper the Independent, and Josephine Mcaffee, one of the paper’s lawyers.
She grew up in southwest London, attending the private Godolphin and Latymer School before studying theatre studies and history of art at Warwick University.
Oliver Haste claims to have met Carrie in 2007, while she was studying at university.
In an interview with the Mail on Sunday, Mr Haiste said: “I found when times were good with Carrie they were great – they were fantastic.
“When times were bad they were awful. It was a highly passionate relationship. And I don’t mean that in a salacious, physical sense. I mean in terms of emotional context – very emotionally charged.
“It’s the most up and down relationship I have had.
“Any relationship with Carrie or friendship with Carrie is very intense and can often burn brightly. It’s never boring.
“She often brings a lot of intensity to relationships, be they romantic or friendships. That passion can work the other way when she is not happy with you.”
Mr Haiste claims to have introduced Miss Symonds to minor figures in the Conservative Party, prior to the acceleration of her career in politics.
The couple separated in 2010, in a split Mr Haiste described as “not particularly amicable”.
Miss Symonds and Mr Johnson’s relationship became public in September last year, after he and his wife of 25 years, Marina Wheeler, announced they were getting a divorce.
The couple first met in 2012 when she was seconded to work on his Mayor of London re-election campaign.
In March 2018, the pair sparked controversy when social media posts revealed that the Uxbridge MP had attended Miss Symonds 30th birthday party, alongside Michael Gove and Sajid Javid.
The Telegraph called the event an “alcohol-fuelled 30th birthday bash” which sparked confusion and conjecture about why the older Conservative MPs were at the young woman’s birthday party.
The couple have sparked debate again after neighbour Tom Penn called the police after hearing shouting, plate-smashing and a woman shouting “get off me” and “get out”.
Mr Penn defended his decision to share the details of the incident in The Guardian, which included a recording made of the shouting.
He said he and his wife knocked on the door but received no response from the Tory leadership hopeful and partner Carrie Symonds during the row.
Mr Penn told the Guardian the argument had been “loud enough and angry enough that I felt frightened and concerned for the welfare of those involved”.
He said what he and his wife heard appeared to be an angry confrontation and they recorded it because they feared for Carrie’s safety.
Mr Johnson continues to fail to address the dramatic reports.
