Carrie Symonds to move into Number 10 with Boris Johnson, Downing Street confirms

Boris Johnson‘s girlfriend Carrie Symonds will live with him in Number 10, Downing Street has confirmed.

“The PM is officially moving in today and, yes, his partner will be living there,” a spokeswoman said on Monday.

Despite speculation that Mr Johnson may need new furniture to be paid for by the state, the spokeswoman added “there’s no cost to the taxpayer”.

Ms Symonds, a former director of communications for the Conservative Party, will not have any publicly-funded staff working for her, Number 10 indicated.

The spokeswoman said: “In relation to her living at Number 10 there won’t be any additional cost to the taxpayer.”

The couple will be the first unmarried couple to officially live in Number 10.

They previously lived together at Ms Symonds’s flat in Camberwell, south London.

As Theresa May left Downing Street last week, removal vans were seen taking away her belongings.

Both Mrs May and former chancellor Philip Hammond left their flats as the handover to Mr Johnson’s new administration took place.

Ms Symonds, 31, made an appearance in Downing Street last week during Mr Johnson’s first address to the nation after officially becoming prime minister.

The couple’s move comes as the new PM travels to Scotland on Monday in a bid to renew “the ties that bind our United Kingdom”. 

In his first official visit north of the border since taking office, Mr Johnson will announce a £300 million funding pot for communities in the devolved nations.

Speaking ahead of his visit to a military base on Monday, he said: “Our Union is the most successful political and economic union in history. We are a global brand and together we are safer, stronger and more prosperous.

“So as we prepare for our bright future after Brexit, it’s vital we renew the ties that bind our United Kingdom.

“I’m proud to be in Scotland today to make clear that I am a passionate believer in our great Union, and I look forward to visiting Wales and Northern Ireland to ensure that every decision I make as Prime Minister promotes and strengthens our Union.”

Meanwhile Mr Johnson faces a growing Brexit storm as the Government braces Britain for no-deal.

The Brexit “war Cabinet” was meeting for the first time this afternoon, chaired by Michael Gove who is overseeing no-deal preparations.

But as Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab vowed ministers would provide “finality” on Brexit and Chancellor Sajid Javid was “urgently identifying” funds for a no-deal scenario, business chiefs and politicians warned of the potentially dire consequences.