No 10 fails to deny that Boris Johnson personally rang editors with suspicions about Dominic Cummings

Splash headlines prompted extraordinary attack on prime minsiter by former adviser

Downing Street has today failed to deny reports that Boris Johnson personally phoned newspaper editors to tell them that he suspected Dominic Cummings of being behind a string of leaks.

Mr Johnson’s suspicions of his former most senior aide made splash headlines on Friday on the front pages of three newspapers generally regarded as sympathetic to the Johnson administration, in what was seen by most in Westminster as a co-ordinated briefing.

The reports prompted Cummings to issue an explosive rebuttal later that day, in which he denied leaking details of the second Covid lockdown or Mr Johnson’s contacts with businessman James Dyson.

In sensational claims which poured fuel on internecine war between the former close allies, the Vote Leave supremo accused the PM of making “mad” and “unethical” proposals to shut down an inquiry into the lockdown leak and get Tory donors to pay for refurbishment of his flat.

Reports over the weekend suggested that Johnson himself had taken the highly unusual step of personally calling the editors of The Times, The Sun and the Daily Telegraph to reveal his suspicions of Cummings.

And his official spokesperson did not deny this when asked four times at a regular media briefing in Westminster on Monday.

The spokesperson opened the meeting by saying that he would not be commenting on issues relating to the series of leaks while official inquiries are under way.

An inquiry launched in October into unauthorised briefings of plans for a second lockdown is yet to report. And a second inquiry into the leak of text message exchanges in which Mr Johnson promised to “fix” tax problems for Dyson was announced last week. No inquiries have however been ordered int other leaks relating to the PM’s exchanges with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over a planned takeover of Newcastle United or the funding of renovations at Mr Johnson’s Downing Street flat.

“The leak inquiry is ongoing and I’m not going to be commenting whilst this investigation is live,” the spokesperson told reporters.

Asked four times whether he could deny that Mr Johnson had personally phoned editors, the spokesperson said only: “That’s another way to get me to comment on the leak inquiry, which is something I have said I’m not going to be doing.

“I’m not going to be drawn on the inquiry at this stage. There’s a great deal of speculation relating to the leaks and I’m not going to be drawn on it.”