In a news release on Saturday morning, the newspaper reported that Mr. Johnson tried to hire Carrie Johnson, then Carrie Simonts, as his chief of staff at the State Department in 2018. However, the report was drawn from later editions of the newspaper, raising questions about whether No. 10 put pressure on the newspaper’s publishers. On Monday, the prime minister’s spokesman acknowledged that there had been contact between Downing Street and the Times before and after the story was published. Raab in charge of PM under general anesthesia for ‘minor’ surgery – keep up to date Asked if there were any talks after his initial publication, the spokesman told reporters: “I understand that.” He declined to say “who spoke to whom”, but denied that he was the prime minister himself. “I have checked and made sure he has not spoken to anyone,” he said. “I do not know any call from the prime minister.” They added that “it is purely a matter of publications, of journalists deciding what they write”. Picture: Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie Johnson Asked about the allegations initially made by the Times, the spokesman did not directly deny them, but noted the previous denials by a spokeswoman for Johnson, who said: “These allegations are completely untrue.” They said: “In relation to my role, I do not comment on what the prime minister did before he became prime minister. “I think my political colleagues made it clear at the weekend that the story was not true, as was Mrs Johnson’s spokeswoman. “I point out the official denials that took place over the weekend.” They added that the prime minister “believes in hiring the right people for the right roles”. However, Times story writer Simon Walters said he was adamant about the report “100%. “I was in long and detailed communication with No. 10 at a high level, Ben Gascoigne and Mrs. Johnson’s representative for up to 48 hours before the newspaper came out. “any element of history,” he told The New European. “None of these three have offered me a denial on file since then. No. 10 and Mr. Gascoigne have not denied it even off-record.” Mr. Johnson’s former chief assistant, Dominique Cummings, also backed the allegations, arguing that Johnson also wanted to appoint his wife to a government post in late 2020. He wrote on Twitter: “The ‘missing story’ (published by the Times after the number 10 phone call on Friday night) is true. Walters has repeatedly posted accurate stories, such as about illegal donations. “They have folded and reversed the ferret. The truth is worse! (Johnson) wanted to appoint a girlfriend to GVT work in the third quarter of 2020.” Asked if Mr Johnson had tried to give her a government job while on Downing Street, his spokesman said: “Again, I understand that the allegation is also untrue, but these allegations have been made and refuted in the past.”
