Criticism of Carrie Johnson is “sexist, undignified and wrong”, Sajid Javid has said after the role of the Prime Minister’s wife in No 10 came under fresh scrutiny.
Mrs Johnson is the subject of a new unauthorised biography by Lord Ashcroft that contains the accusation she wants to “control everything” about Downing Street.
In a Sunday newspaper column to mark the serialisation of the book, the peer claimed she is stopping her husband from leading Britain “effectively”.
Asked on Monday whether he considered criticism of Mrs Johnson misogynistic, Mr Javid said: “Yes, yes it is. It’s sexist. I think the partners of politicians should be off-limits.
“Why would you go after the partners of politicians? By all means go after politicians, but why their husbands or their partners? This is not what this is about. 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 the government?”
In a column for the Mail on Sunday, Lord Ashcroft rejected any such suggestions, writing: “Her friends have often dismissed criticism of Carrie as simply sexist, but this won’t do. For one thing, such [a] comment is by no means the preserve of men.”
Mr Javid had previously employed Mrs Johnson as a media adviser during his tenure as communities secretary in Theresa May’s government.
He added that although she had been an “excellent” special adviser when she joined his team, she now took “no formal role” in Boris Johnson’s own administration.
“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 said.
While Mr Javid did not rule out running in any future Conservative leadership contest, he said he had “been there, done that” after he came fourth in the 2019 campaign to replace Mrs May.
“We’ve got a leader in place who’s doing an excellent job, he’s delivering on all the commitments that we’ve made and I’m there to support him alongside the rest of the Cabinet,” he said.
On Sunday, a spokesman for Mrs Johnson said: “This is just the latest attempt by bitter ex-officials to discredit her. She is a private individual who plays no role in Government.”
