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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Paige Freshwater

Boris Johnson's dog fails - from leg humping to photoshoot with taxpayers' cash

As Number 10 drafts Boris Johnson's resignation letter, the disgraced leader is getting ready to move on from life as Prime Minister.

It is thought he may remain in Number 10 until a successor is put in place, potentially to be by the time of the Conservative Party conference in October.

It comes after the PM was hit with more than 50 resignation letters this morning - including from the new Education Secretary, Cabinet ministers, as well as aides and moderates to Red Wallers.

But he isn't the only one to have caused controversy in Number 10 as his dog, Dilyn, has raised eyebrows after being adopted by Mr Johnson and Carrie Symonds in 2019.

The Jack Russell cross, also known as a Kromfohrlander, was rescued as a puppy from a breeder in South Wales and taken to the Friends of Animals Wales with a misaligned jaw.

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Carrie with the couple's rescue dog, Dilyn (PA)

Named Dilyn, the Welsh word for 'follow', the puppy spent time with a foster family in Merthyr Tydfil before being adopted by the PM and his then-girlfriend, Carrie.

In March 2020, when Carrie was pregnant, Dominic Cummings told MPs how she went "completely crackers" after The Times published a story about the couple's intentions to rehome Dilyn.

While deciding whether to put the country into lockdown over the Covid-19 pandemic and judging calls from Donald Trump for the UK to join a bombing campaign in the Middle East, Carrie allegedly demanded staff deal with the March 11 story.

A 325-word letter was drafted in response to the article, with it claiming it was a "wholly false premise" and caused them to receive abuse from the public who had been "misled into believing that we would callously rehome our much loved family dog."

Mr Cummings claimed that Mr Johnson would have sent the letter if he didn't put a stop to it - a claim which was denied.

Prime Minister Boris and Carrie Johnson's 2021 official Christmas card of Dilyn in the snow (Pippa Fowles / No10 Downing Street)

"The PM went along with it initially because Carrie was very cross,” an insider told the Mail. "It was none of Dom's business but he hated Carrie and went berserk.

"He told the PM it was a waste of time – and the PM agreed. He sympathised with Carrie's feelings but said, 'I can't sign this – it's a nonsense’.”

A No10 spokeswoman said: "The Prime Minister’s partner addressed these reports at the time. They are totally untrue.”

Mr Johnson came under fire because of Dilyn again in February 2021 after using taxpayers' cash to fund an Instagram-style photoshoot of his dog.

Shared on the government's official Flickr page, the photographs showed his dog frolicking in the snow while chewing on a small stick.

At the time, the Mirror revealed Number 10 had three vanity photographers on staff, with the pictures credited to a taxpayer-funded photographer.

The Mirror reported the civil service photographer had been working in Number 10 on secondment from the Ministry of Defence since early 2020.

She captured several Number 10 press conferences, the PM delivering a coronavirus address to the nation, as well as photos for other government work.

However, an online profile described her as “MOD photographer for UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson ".

Just months later, in July 2021, Mr Johnson revealed how Dilyn had been neutered in an attempt to reduce his "endless" romantic urges that would see him humping people's legs.

The dog is said to have played into his urges when visiting Surrey Police's headquarters in Guildford.

Former chancellor Sajid Javid would watch out for Dilyn when he was in one of his moods as he would display "amorous intentions" towards his cavapoo, Bailey.

What do you think about Mr Johnson's plans to resign? Comment your thoughts below.

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