Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie have celebrated the first anniversary of their wedding with a lavish party in the grounds of a multi-millionaire Tory donor.
A giant white marquee was erected at 18th-century Daylesford House in the Cotswolds, which is owned by Lord Bamford, to host the celebrations.
The outgoing prime minister’s supporters, including Nadine Dorries and Jacob Rees-Mogg, were rewarded for their loyalty with invitations to the big-money bash.
Johnson’s 81-year-old father Stanley and his sister Rachel were also in attendance, as was Australian actor Holly Valance.
Other political allies joining the festivities included Tory peer Lord Goldsmith and former cabinet minister John Whittingdale.
Liz Truss, who is favourite to succeed Johnson as PM, was unable to attend due to the Tory leadership campaign.
Speaking in Bromley, Kent, she defended his decision to hold the party at a time when so many people in the country are struggling with the cost of living crisis.
She said: “I think he’s entitled to enjoy his wedding day, and I wish the best to him and Carrie and all the family.”
Guests were able to relax on hay bales and benches placed outside the marquee and eat and drink at casks and small tables as they enjoyed views across vast meadows and orchards.
The Johnsons had originally been planning to throw their wedding party at the Prime Minister’s official country residence, Chequers, in Buckinghamshire.
But that plan was ditched following a huge political backlash.
The couple married in a low-key private ceremony at Westminster Cathedral last year, organised in secret, in front of a small group of family and friends.
This was followed by a reception in the gardens of 10 Downing Street with a limited number of guests due to coronavirus restrictions.
It is understood that billionaire Lord Bamford, chairman of construction equipment manufacturer JCB, is covering at least some of the cost of the party.
It is not the first time Johnson has benefited from his generosity.
The Tory peer supported his 2019 leadership bid, with the PM knocking down a wall with a JCB digger at the firm’s Staffordshire factory in a stunt to demonstrate he could “get Brexit done”.
Lord Bamford’s wife, Lady Carole Bamford, set up the upmarket Daylesford Organic Farm, with a chain of shops selling its produce across London.
Johnson reportedly received food from the Daylesford farm shop worth an estimated £12,500 during the pandemic, though Downing Street said he paid for the cost of all food for “personal consumption”.
When asked about the wedding celebrations, No 10 declined to comment on the “private matter”.
