Carrie Johnson criticism ‘sexist’ and ‘wrong’, says Sajid Javid

The health secretary has said that criticism of Carrie Johnson is “sexist, undignified and wrong”.

The role of Boris Johnson’s wife, …., once again hit the headlines over the weekend following the serialisation of Conservative peer Lord Ashcroft’s biography of the prime minister, in which he claims his wife is eager to “control everything”.

Javid, for whom Carrie Johnson was once employed as a special adviser, argued that political spouses ought to be “off-limits”.

“It’s sexist…. Why would you go after the partners of politicians? By all means go after politicians, but why their husbands or their partners? This is about going after an individual. I actually do think there’s sexism involved in this, I really do.

“Doing this, going after Carrie Johnson is undignified, it’s unfair and it’s just wrong. Do you think Cherie Blair played a role in government?

“She has no formal role in government. She was my special adviser and she was an excellent special adviser, but she’s not in Government in any way… It wouldn’t be any different from anyone before her. I would just say that if you want to talk about No 10, these issues, by all means please do so but focus on the Prime Minister,” he went on.

His remarks come after Mrs Johnson issued an official statement on Sunday evening in which she insisted she “plays no role in Government” and is the victim of a “brutal briefing campaign”.