The story, which claimed Mr Johnson had tried to get Carrie to a 100 100.00-a-year job at the foreign office while having a secret affair with her, appeared in the newspaper’s first issue on Saturday but disappeared. from later copies and a version also disappeared from Mail Online. Johnson’s spokesman confirmed that No. 10 had been in contact with the Times before and after the first issue was published, but denied that the prime minister himself had contacted Deputy Editor-in-Chief Tony Gallagher, who was in charge of the newspaper that night. . It goes without saying that no legal action has been taken since No. 10 in relation to history. The prime minister’s spokesman said he was not in a position to comment on the allegations, citing Johnson’s tenure as foreign minister from 2016-18. However, he told reporters: “Others have made it clear that this story is not true, including Mrs Johnson’s spokeswoman. “I would like to remind you of the denials and statements made by Mrs Johnson about this and the No. 10 colleagues over the weekend.” The spokesman added: “They approached us before the publication and we spoke to them then. I think we talked to them even after the post. I do not know his exact schedule. “ The story, written by senior political journalist Simon Walters, extended to claims in a biography of Ms. Johnson published by the Tories donor and Lord Ashcroft earlier this year. He claimed that the idea of ​​appointing Ms. Johnson – who was then working in the Conservative Party’s press office as Carrie Simonts – collapsed when close aides reported on the plan. Mr. Johnson was still married to Marina Wheeler at the time. The story goes that Mr. Johnson’s senior aide, Ben Gascoigne, now deputy chief of staff at No. 10, threatened to resign from his position at the State Department if he hired Carrie. Responding to the Times story, a spokeswoman for Ms Johnson said: “These allegations are completely untrue.” But Mr Walters told New European: “I stand by history 100 percent. I was in long and detailed communication with No. 10 High Level, Ben Gascoigne and Mrs. Johnson’s representative for up to 48 hours before the newspaper came out. At no point did any of them offer a substantial denial of any element of the story. “ “None of these three have offered me a denial on file since. No. 10 and Mr. Gascoigne did not deny it even outside the record “.