Boris Johnson has married his partner Carrie Symonds in a secret ceremony at Westminster Cathedral, according to reports.

The prime minister and Ms Symonds, 33, tied the knot on Saturday with only a handful of church officials aware of the preparations, according to The Sun. The wedding had been planned six months ago.

About 30 guests, including close friends and family, were reportedly invited to the event at the cathedral, according to the Mail on Sunday.

When asked by The Independent, No 10 declined to comment on the story. A No 10 aide told the PA news agency: “I have been strictly told not to comment.”

Mr Johnson, 56, and Ms Symonds were engaged in late 2019 and their son Wilfred was born in April 2020 during the first coronavirus lockdown.

It is the prime minister’s third marriage, having finalised his divorce from his second wife Marina Wheeler in 2020.

On Saturday, a witness told The Sun that the cathedral was forced to go into lockdown for the wedding service.

“It was closed for about half an hour and they all came out after,” they said. “It’s not very often we have weddings here, and when they came out they were all bungled into a car.”

Following reports of the ceremony, Northern Ireland’s first minister Arlene Foster congratulated the couple.

Therese Coffey, the work and pensions secretary, tweeted: “Congratulations @BorisJohnson and @carriesymonds on your marriage.”

Weddings in England are currently subject to coronavirus restrictions, meaning ceremonies are limited to up to 30 guests in Covid-secure venues.

The reports of the marriage come just days after the couple were said to have sent save-the-date cards to family and friends for an event on 30 July 2022.

It had been reported that the couple were preparing to celebrate their wedding next year with a “lavish bash” – although Downing Street declined to comment on the “personal matter” when asked about the reports earlier this week.