Since the deputy chief whip resigned his post last week after allegations of groping two men, Number 10 has said the prime minister was not aware of specific allegations.

But Lord McDonald, who was the permanent secretary in the Foreign Office between 2015 and 2020, has written to Parliament's standards commissioner saying Downing Street had made "inaccurate claims".

Lord McDonald said: "The original No 10 line is not true and the modification is still not accurate. Mr Johnson was
briefed in person about the initiation and outcome of the investigation.

"There was a 'formal complaint'. Allegations were 'resolved' only in the sense that the investigation was completed; Mr
Pincher was not exonerated. To characterise the allegations as 'unsubstantiated' is therefore wrong."