by Boris Johnson may still intend to live in his flat at 11 Downing Street for the time being but, after announcing his plans to step down as prime minister last week, he and his wife Carrie may be wondering where to set up shop. your next family home.
The Johnsons’ 2020 renovation of their current residence at 11 Downing Street came under intense scrutiny after it emerged that Conservative donor Lord Brownlow had paid for part of the renovation.
A leaked copy of a works quote, obtained by The Independent, shows that initial plans for the renovation would have totaled more than £200,000. The infamous ‘gold’ wallpaper was expected to cost around £2,000 at the £208,104 estimate.
However, the final cost of the project is believed to have been closer to £112,000. The Cabinet Office has a budget of £30,000 each year for the upkeep of 11 Downing Street. Since then, the additional costs involved in the refurbishment have been paid for by Mr. Johnson.
With the Cabinet Office paying for some of the work and furnishings, it remains to be seen what the Johnsons will be able to bring to their new home when a new Conservative Party leader is announced.
Here are the other properties still owned by the couple that could become the next home for the family of four.
Camberwell, South London
The couple lived in a flat in a restored Grade II listed house overlooking Brunswick Park in Camberwell, south London, when Johnson became prime minister in July 2019.
A month earlier, neighbors called the police over reports of domestic disturbances.
Since the couple lived there, they have not only expanded their family by two, with children Wilfred and Romy, who are now two and seven months old respectively, but have also bought a semi-detached house in the same area.
On 19 July 2019, the couple paid £1.2m for a four-bedroom, red-brick, terraced Victorian house spread over three floors.
It spans over 2,000 square feet, with two reception rooms, four double bedrooms, and two bathrooms.
They revealed their ‘late 2019’ engagement in February 2020, when they also announced that they were expecting their first child together.
Johnson is believed to have remortgaged and rented out his Camberwell and Thame properties to pay for renovations to Apartment 11 Downing Street.
Thames, Oxfordshire
The Old Farm House in Thame, Oxfordshire, is a Grade II listed four-bedroom house. A chocolate box country house, the house has a grand fireplace, exposed beams and views across the open Oxfordshire countryside. There is also a separate stone annex, a tennis court and a swimming pool.
The property was purchased in 2003 by Boris Johnson and his then-wife Marina Wheeler for £640,000.
At the time, Mr Johnson was MP for Henley. The couple separated in 2018 and title to the property was changed to Johnson’s sole name in February 2020, the same month a family court judge cleared Wheeler to file for divorce.
In February 2020, when title was changed, the value of the property was set at £1.25m.
Old Farm House was rented last April for £4,250 a month, unfurnished, for a period of at least one year.
A lease was agreed on in May last year, so should the lease be coming to an end, the Johnsons could opt to make the Old Farm House their rural hideaway when they leave Downing Street.
Thame’s home is just a 30-minute drive from Checkers, the prime minister’s country residence, where Johnson continued his recovery from Covid-19 after being released from hospital in April 2020.
the 16theThe turn-of-the-century Buckinghamshire mansion is a house of grace and favor used by the Prime Minister to entertain guests during his tenure.
Johnson announced his resignation on July 7 but intends to remain prime minister until a successor is chosen, a process that could take months.
The Johnsons had planned to throw a lavish party at Checkers this month to celebrate their 2021 wedding, but reports now suggest the location of the party was changed after criticism over the choice of venue.
