Barnaby Joyce and Vikki Campion welcome second son

The controversial politician and his former staffer have welcomed their second child together, following the birth of first son Sebastian.

Former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce’s new partner Vikki Campion has given birth to the couple’s second son.

Thomas Michael Timothy was born on Saturday, The Sunday Telegrap h reports, and is a younger brother to the couple’s first child, Sebastian, who arrived 14 months ago.

The baby, who weighed in at 3.9kg and was 54cm long, gets his first name from Mr Joyce’s grandfather, Thomas.

Michael is also believed to be a family name, while his second middle name, Timothy, is believed to be a nod to Mr Joyce’s brother Timothy Joyce who died aged 42 from cancer in June last year.

Mr Joyce was devastated by his death, and his ex-wife Natalie and their four daughters attended his funeral despite the family’s estrangement.

The former deputy PM is now a father of six. Picture: Channel 7

Mr Joyce, 52, stood down from his high-profile role as deputy PM and leader of his party in early 2018 after news of his affair with ex-staffer Ms Campion, 34, surfaced, making headlines across the country.

Mr Joyce also split from his first wife, Natalie, in the wake of the scandal.

The former couple share four children, daughters Bridgette, Julia, Caroline and Odette.

It is understood Tom Joyce was born at the same public hospital in Armidale that his older brother arrived in last April.

Former journalist Ms Campion left her partner’s office in April 2017 and began working for Resources Minister Matt Canavan.

During a controversial paid interview with Channel 7 following Sebastian Joyce’s birth last year, Ms Campion said her first child would be a “tough” kid and that her “relationship has only gotten stronger” in the face of public outcry.

She also revealed the pregnancy had been a surprise, as she had been told she was unable to have children.

Barnaby Joyce already has four daughters with ex-wife Natalie. Picture: Instagram

“My mum she calls him miracle baby because that’s really what he was. I’m really grateful for what we’ve got,” she said.

News of her second pregnancy broke in January this year.

The ongoing Joyce saga outraged many Australians last year for a range of reasons.

Many were angered after Mr Joyce repeatedly called for privacy as the scandal unfolded — only to later agree to a highly-paid, $150,000 television interview.

Others also branded him a “hypocrite” after he vocally opposed marriage equality and demanded the issue be put to a national vote due to his belief in “traditional marriage” — only to leave his wife of 24 years.

The only reason to care about this is that @Barnaby_Joyce campaigns on family values and religion yet has cheated on his wife, left her and now has 2 kids born out of wedlock Personally I couldn’t care less apart from it shows his rampant hypocrisy. How about covering #watergate?

— 💧Shane Deagan 🤷🏼‍♂️ (@deags008) June 2, 2019

assume Barnaby will be 'calling for privacy' while writing a tell-all book

— Christine Davey - old feminist thug (@chrisda22842521) June 2, 2019

However, the drama did not appear to harm his popularity with his local constituents, after he was re-elected to his seat of New England at last month’s federal election.

However, he was not awarded a cabinet portfolio, and he also found out he’d lost his special envoy to the drought job after it was revealed on Sky News.

Mr Joyce was also caught up in the citizenship drama that engulfed Australian politics in 2017, after it was revealed he held New Zealand citizenship by descent from his father.

He and four senators were ruled ineligible to sit in parliament by the high court, but he was later returned to his seat following a by-election.

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