Carrie goes to war over Dilyn the dog

It seems fresh infighting has broken out in Whitehall on what is supposed to be the most important Budget day of a generation. Yes, a briefing war has spilt out into the open, with the PM's fiancée Carrie Symonds taking to Twitter to defend... Dilyn the dog. 

Some fed-up official appears to have been whispering that the prime ministerial pooch is 'sickly' and could be on the way out. 

What a load of total crap! There has never been a happier, healthier and more loved dog than our Dilyn. 100% bs. The people behind this story should be ashamed of themselves. https://t.co/2TIEPqzdMK

— Carrie Symonds (@carriesymonds) March 11, 2020

According to reports, the inhabitants of No. 10 are sick to the back teeth with, to borrow Ms Symond's phrase, 'a load of total crap'. The Times's Ben Ellery reports the words of one insider, who told the paper: 'For a while there was dog shit everywhere in the flat'.

While the first lady of Downing Street may be signed up to Dilyn for life, Mr S understands that not every staffer is on board. Dilyn has privately earned a reputation for incessantly yapping while others are trying to work.