Prime minister Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie have announced the birth of “a healthy baby girl” at a London hospital early on Thursday.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the couple said: “The prime minister and Mrs Johnson are delighted to announce the birth of a healthy baby girl at a London hospital earlier today.
“Both mother and daughter are doing very well. The couple would like to thank the brilliant NHS maternity team for all their care and support.”
The baby is the couple’s second child together, following the birth of Wilfred – now 19 months old – in April 2020.
Downing Street said that Mr Johnson will “take some time to be with his family” over the coming days and weeks, but will balance this with his responsibilities as prime minster, so will not be staying away from work entirely as would normally be expected during paternity leave.
Carrie has referred to her as her “rainbow baby” – a term used to describe a child born after a miscarriage, stillbirth or neo-natal death.
In a post on Instagram in July, four months into her pregnancy, she said: “At the beginning of the year, I had a miscarriage which left me heartbroken.
“I feel incredibly blessed to be pregnant again but I’ve also felt like a bag of nerves.
“Fertility issues can be really hard for many people, particularly when on platforms like Instagram it can look like everything is only ever going well.
“I found it a real comfort to hear from people who had also experienced loss so I hope that in some very small way sharing this might help others too.”
Carrie, 33, is the 57-year-old PM’s third wife, after the couple married in May this year at a secret ceremony at Westminster Cathedral.
Mr Johnson has four adult children – Lara, Milo, Cassia and Theodore – with his second wife Marina Wheeler, as well as a daughter resulting from an affair with arts consultant Helen MacIntyre.
There has long been speculation about another child, as Mr Johnson consistently refused to reveal the total number of his offspring.
But in a TV interview during a visit to the US in May this year, he said that he had six children – now increased to seven with today’s birth.
The PM claimed then to be a hands-on father and said he was “changing a lot of nappies”.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was one of the first to congratulate the couple, tweeting: “Congratulations to Carrie and Boris Johnson on the birth of their daughter. Wishing your family health and happiness.”
