British PM Boris Johnson's fiancee gives birth to baby boy

Carrie Symonds gives birth at London hospital

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his partner Carrie Symonds have announced the birth of their baby son. EPA

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's fiancee Carrie Symonds has given birth to a baby boy, PA Media reported.

A spokesman for the couple said: "The prime minister and Ms Symonds are thrilled to announce the birth of a healthy baby boy at a London hospital earlier this morning."

The spokesman said both mother and child are doing very well after the birth of a “healthy baby boy”.

The baby is the third to be born to a sitting British prime minister this century. The wives of former leaders Tony Blair and David Cameron also had babies while their husbands were in office.

Mr Cameron was among the first to congratulate the couple, offering his apologies for not leaving behind a cot used by his own children at 10 Downing Street.

Fellow politicians also sent their congratulations to the couple.

"So thrilled for Boris and Carrie. Wonderful to have a moment of unalloyed joy!," Health minister Matt Hancock said on Twitter.

The Prime Minister had earlier said that foreign minister Dominic Raab would be standing in for him at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, meaning he would miss his first parliamentary showdown with opposition Labour party leader Sir Keir Starmer.

The Labour leader also tweeted his congratulations to the couple, calling the birth "wonderful news".

House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle congratulated the couple.

“Such happy news amid so much uncertainty – 2020 is certainly a year they will never forget,” he said.

Mr Johnson returned to work on Monday, a month after testing positive for Covid-19.

The British prime minister was treated for the disease, which he said had threatened his life, in an intensive care unit.

Ms Symonds had shown symptoms of the virus while pregnant, but recovered swiftly. The newborn boy is her first child.

The couple, who have been living together in Downing Street since Mr Johnson became prime minister in July, announced in February that they were expecting their first child.

Mr Johnson, who refuses to say how many children he has, was previously married to Marina Wheeler, and they had four children together. They announced in September 2018 that they had separated and they divorced earlier this year.