Multiple allies of Boris Johnson have accused Oliver Dowden, Rishi Sunak’s right-hand man, of being behind final evening’s news that police had acquired diary entries purporting to indicate the previous PM breaking lockdown guidelines at Chequers.

Mr Dowden, who was appointed to the important thing publish of Deputy Prime Minister following the resignation of Dominic Raab, has been in command of the Cabinet Office since Mr Sunak got here to energy final October.

Last evening it emerged that Cabinet Office civil servants had despatched extracts from Mr Johnson’s official diary to the police, alleging they confirmed him to have damaged lockdown guidelines whereas staying at his grace-and-favour mansion Chequers.

Mr Johnson’s workplace and allies emphatically denied any wrongdoing in anyway, saying: “Lawyers have examined the events in question and advised that they were lawful.”

The Cabinet Office stated civil servants have been simply doing their job, as required by the Civil Service Code.

READ MORE: Boris defended as ex-Prime Minister faces new probe into rule-breaking

However this morning Boris Johnson’s allies are overtly accusing Oliver Dowden of getting a hand within the stitch-up.

The Express understands a rising variety of Mr Johnson’s Tory MP supporters now imagine Mr Dowden to have given this info to the police.

One ally damningly referred to as the Deputy Prime Minister: “A compliant tool of the blob”.

Another warned: “He will be held to account - blue on blue is never right”.

If true, it might be the second time Boris Johnson had been betrayed by Mr Dowden, following his resignation as Party Chair after the lack of a by-election in June 2022, euphemistically saying ”we can't keep on with enterprise as traditional" and "any individual should take duty”.

However Cabinet Office sources are combating again towards the allegations, describing the declare Mr Dowden had any position as “rubbish”.

“Civil servants passed on the information they’d been given. And civil service contacted police before ministers - or anyone in Downing Street - was aware.”

They additionally accused final evening’s assertion from Boris Johnson’s workplace, through which he stated the transfer was a politically-motivated stitch-up, of containing inaccuracies. Specifically the road: “No contact was made with Mr Johnson before these incorrect allegations were made both to the police and to the Privileges Committee.”

Responding to the allegations of inaccuracies, Mr Johnson’s workplace stated nobody within the Government or Cabinet Office gave the previous Prime Minister any warning that they have been passing on info to the police.

The Cabinet Office completely deny any involvement within the course of from ministers, political advisors or the Prime Minister.

They are arguing that Mr Johnson’s attorneys acted in keeping with their skilled obligations, and despatched the knowledge to the Cabinet Office who in flip despatched the diary extracts to the police. The division claims at no level did Civil Servants discover, forged judgement or take a look at the knowledge in any method, and have been merely following the Civil Service Code.

They say there was no assertion by the Cabinet Office that something within the diary extracts was illegal.

Allies of Mr Johnson have given a last warning to Rishi Sunak - to get a grip and cease the witch hunt, or face management reprisals.

This morning they are saying final evening’s news was the “final straw” for Boris Johnson and warn that MPs and members supportive of the previous PM will start organising towards Mr Sunak shortly, except he can provably get a grip of the Civil Service.