MY LIFE WITH DYNAMIC CARRIE
As the woman tipped to join Boris in No 10 finds herself in the headlines, an old flame tells his story...
OLIVER HAISTE is sitting in a London pub talking about how fond he is of old flame Carrie Symonds when something extraordinary happens: news breaks of an explosive bust-up between Carrie and her new lover, Boris Johnson. The accounts of the screaming match between Johnson and 31-year-old Ms Symonds are shocking – if meticulously well timed in the eyes of Johnson’s political opponents. The police had been called. Yet, sitting in the dining room of a Central London watering hole, Haiste appears unruffled by the news.
In fact, he is not surprised at all, because his own three-year relationship with the young woman at the centre of Britain’s latest political storm involved an electrifying dose of dramatic and often fiery conflict.
‘We had quite a tumultuous relationship,’ he admits today. ‘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,’ Haiste continues, choosing his words carefully.
Today, describing their relationship for the first time, he paints an intriguing portrait of a ‘highoctane’ partnership with a woman as passionate as she is intelligent.
Indeed, already credited with helping mastermind her new boyfriend’s rise to the brink of power, Ms Symonds could find herself at No10 within a matter of weeks if, as still seems likely, Boris wins the race to become leader of the Conservative Party – and Prime Minister.
‘Any relationship with Carrie or friendship with Carrie is very intense and can often burn brightly,’ Haiste explains. ‘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.
‘When times are good, she is very loyal. When times are bad, she can go in completely the opposite direction and possibly, in my view, to excess.’
Ms Symonds’s rise to prominence has been meteoric, guiding Tory MP Zac Goldsmith’s electoral campaign in 2010 just a year after graduating with a first-class degree from the University of Warwick, and then joining Boris Johnson’s successful re-election campaign as London Mayor two years later.
STINTS as a special adviser followed, first to Culture Minister John Whittingdale and then to Sajid Javid when he was Communities Minister, before she was appointed as director of communications of the Conservative Party in June 2017. Bright, engaging and dynamic, Ms Symonds is seen as a popular figure around Westminster. Many believe she is behind the dramatic improvement in Boris’s political and personal selfdiscipline since the relationship began last year.
But as Boris draws ever closer to Downing Street, there are growing concerns that her own ambitions may be complicating his campaign.
Back in 2007, when she met Haiste, that ambition was not yet fully formed – indeed, as he recalls today, she very nearly avoided politics altogether in order to become an actress.
The pair were introduced by a mutual friend while Carrie was studying drama and history of art at Warwick, and Oliver had graduated from University College London and was himself dabbling in Tory Party politics.
They enjoyed romantic holidays in Kenya and Rome and went to music festivals. For Haiste, she held an extraordinary magnetism, and was a thoughtful and caring partner who would hand-make
birthday gifts, including a photo collage of the pair.
She acted in a series of amateur productions and had mastered the tricky skill of being able to burst into tears on demand.
Such was her talent that she was invited to attend the final casting sessions for a supporting role in the film adaptation of Ian McEwan’s novel Atonement, the 2007 war tragedy starring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy.
However, it was a crushing disappointment to learn that she had not made the final cut. It was this, says Haiste, which helped convince her that she would have to find an alternative career.
‘I think her first passion was always to have been an actress,’ he says. ‘That’s what she said at the time. But obviously it’s such a difficult career to get into.’
It was Haiste, now 36, who helped to encourage her interest in politics. The pair had passionate discussions and attended events hosted by Zac Goldsmith well before his 2010 election.
‘She had begun to be associated with local politics around Richmond and East Sheen and she had said, “Do you know any people in the Conservative Party I can talk to?”. I introduced her to some minor figures in the party. I probably ranted and raved most nights about Conservative politics, which hopefully had some effect.
‘I’d like to think I maybe brought some ideas to the table but I’m sure she would have gone in that direction herself. I am only a catalyst.’
Her relationship with Haiste, who now runs a business exporting whisky to China and the Far East, reached an ‘upsetting’ and ‘not particularly amicable’ end in 2010, though friends of Ms Symonds insist they only dated ‘for six months’. But it seems his influence was a lasting one, helping put her into a new – and highly successful – political trajectory. Symonds has now been a key part of the Tory Party for eight years.
But it was only in September last year, after father-of-five Boris, 55, announced he was divorcing his wife of 25 years, Marina Wheeler – and his relationship with Carrie became public – that she came to wider attention.
Now, sources say, she is proving herself to be something of a controversial figure to those inside the Johnson leadership campaign.
When she attended the official launch of the campaign earlier this
That passion can work the other way when she is not happy with you
month, she, too, appeared to have had a stylish and demure makeover. The blonde hair was less brassy; the outfit a mid-length Karen Millen frock paired with a (probably fake) Hermes clutch.
Yet although she appeared keen to stay away from the direct glare of flashbulbs and television cameras, political insiders say this belies the starring role she is keen to adopt behind the scenes.
Indeed, there have already been unfavourable comparisons with Baroness Marcia Falkender, the private secretary of former Prime Minister Harold Wilson, who became an indispensable – and highly influential – political aide behind the scenes.
Some note, for example, that Ms Symonds has always been rather too keen to meddle, despite no longer being an official part of the Tory machine. Their concerns apparently extend further to what will happen if Boris does get the keys to No10, and is accompanied by Ms Symonds as his official ‘consort’. They worry that her strong views and principles may interrupt the smooth running of the Prime Minister’s office at what is likely to be a critical juncture in history for both the party and the country.
Yet the Johnson camp have carefully denied any rumours of discord, and insist that they have little to no contact with her.
Those close to Ms Symonds, too, insist relations between her and Boris’s adviser Sir Lynton Crosby are nothing but ‘warm’ and that there has been no falling out.
Her only influencing role on Boris, they say, is behind the closed doors of their personal relationship. She is described by some as ‘very mature for her age, not silly at all’ and has hobbies which include hunting for antiques.
Testament to that maturity is her apparent popularity at Westminster, particularly among the highest-ranking Cabinet Ministers.
Three contenders for the Prime Minister’s job – Michael Gove, Sajid Javid and Johnson – took time away from official and personal duties to attend her boozy 30th birthday party in March last year, while John Whittingdale also made an appearance.
One friend of Boris said: ‘She helps keep him focused, makes sure he speaks to lots of MPs and suggests ideas for his speeches and weekly newspaper column.’
But as might be expected in such a febrile world, opinions vary, and Ms Symonds, too, has her critics. ‘Carrie likes it to be thought that she’s responsible for the new, purposeful, determined, slimmed-down Boris. But that’s not really true,’ says another friend of the leadership contender.
‘Boris always slims down when he wants to go for something.
‘The idea that Carrie Symonds is the only woman in the world who can change Boris into an effective politician is nonsense.
‘He is 55. He’s not going to change. There’s a huge disparity in age and outlook.’
The source suggests, too, that Boris may be regretting the end of his marriage to barrister Ms Wheeler, the mother of four of his five children.
‘Marina was the best political adviser in the world to Boris.
‘What Boris really wants in a woman is a home-maker. Although Marina had a highly professional job, she only worked part-time when the children were young. She made sure there was supper on the table when he got home.
‘Boris is like a broken reed. The joy seems to have gone out of him.
‘He rushed into a relationship because he can’t bear to live alone. He gets totally depressed if he’s on his own.’
Last year, taking part in the March4Women demonstration in the capital, Ms Symonds tweeted a picture of herself wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the caption ‘Bloody Difficult Woman’.
It may be true. But she shows every sign of being a Bloody Successful one, too.