Carrie Symonds, the girlfriend of Britain’s Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has been barred from entering the United States.
As reported by various foreign media on Wednesday, August 21, 2019, Symonds, a former British conservative party communications director, is currently working as a senior adviser at Oceana, a US-based nonprofit ocean conservation campaign group.
Symonds moved into Downing Street together with Johnson in July, becoming the first unmarried couple to live in No. 10.
She is thought to have applied for a visa to work in the United States as part of her job at Oceana, but the immigration authorities have rejected her application, Express UK has reported.
It is understood that the decision was due to her five-day trip to east Africa last year.
The trip saw Symonds, together with Somali-born social activist Numco Ali, visit Somaliland – the northern territory that unilaterally declared independence from Somalia in 1991, following the outbreak of the civil war, but is not recognised internationally.
Symonds travelled to Somaliland for five days with friend Nimco Ali, who campaigns against female genital mutilation and was born in Somaliland.
The pair met with Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi to discuss women’s issues and sea pollution.
Miss Symonds had intended to visit the US as part of her work with Oceana, a non-profit organisation which works to protect oceans.
The self-proclaimed Republic of Somaliland has become the target of Donald Trump’s travel ban on seven countries, which included Somalia.
The Trump administration has banned immigration from the country and subjected all non-immigrant travel to additional scrutiny, Daily Mail added.
Both British and US authorities have yet to comment on the matter.
However, a diplomatic source has insisted: “We are hopeful this can be sorted out in time for Ms Symonds to go to the US as planned,” Express said.
Boris Johnson, is yet to finalise divorce proceedings with his wife of 26 years, Marina Wheeler, with whom he has four children.
The Prime Minister met Symonds in 2012 when she joined Johnson’s re-election campaign for London mayor after a two-year stint as press officer for the Conservative Party.
