Boris, Carrie ( and baby Wilf ) share Scottish camping album
THIS is Boris Johnson as he has never been seen by the public before – a hands- on father yomping through the Highlands with his baby son strapped to his chest in a papoose.
The pictures, taken during his truncated staycation last week, show Mr Johnson enjoying the wilds of Scotland with fiancee Carrie Symonds, four-month-old Wilfred and their dog Dilyn.
Mr Johnson and his family were staying in a tent pitched in the grounds of a cottage on the fringes of Applecross village on the west coast, with views over the islands of Raasay, Rona and Skye.
The islands can be seen in one particularly striking shot of Mr Johnson striding across a beach at low tide.
The Prime Minister had been due to end his holiday and fly back to London this weekend, but the break was cut short after just three days when his whereabouts became publicly known.
Mr Johnson’s six-man security team – who were staying in the three-bedroom, £1,600-a-week cottage – evacuated him on Thursday, just hours before the news of his location broke, after arguing that they could no longer guarantee his safety.
The bell tent, which was a 56th birthday present from Ms Symonds to Mr Johnson, was spotted in the No 10 garden this summer – a dry run for the Scottish trip.
It can be seen in the background as Ms Symonds, 32, poses in her £34.99 Mountain Warehouse walking boots with Dilyn, their two-year-old dog.
After Mr Johnson was evacuated, members of his team were seen taking down the tent and removing equipment. The break was Mr Johnson’s first holiday since his trip to the Caribbean at Christmas, when he become engaged to Ms Symonds. Since then, he has nearly died from Covid-19 and, in April, less than three weeks after he came out of hospital, he welcomed Wilfred into the world.
The Scottish National Party’s leader at Westminster, Ian Blackford, has strenuously denied claims that Mr Johnson’s holiday destination was leaked by nationalists. He said: ‘This is completely preposterous and at no point have I referred publicly to the PM’s whereabouts. To be smeared in this way is unacceptable.’
Nationalists have accused Mr Johnson of being in ‘ panic mode’ about signs of increased support for Scottish independence, with two recent surveys finding that 54 per cent of respondents want to see Scotland split from the UK. Mr Johnson chose a Scottish staycation to demonstrate his commitment to both the Union and the British holiday industry.
Mr Johnson’s papoose last night attracted the derision of Piers Morgan, who said: ‘ Given the woefully weak way Boris Johnson has carried Britain during the coronavirus crisis, it comes as no surprise to me that he needs a papoose to carry his own baby.’
Mr Morgan has previously criticised other high-profile ‘papoose papas’, mocking Daniel Craig when he was spotted carrying his baby daughter in one.