Ministers played absolutely no role in handing over new partygate information about Boris Johnson to the police, the Justice Secretary said after allies of the former premier claimed he was the victim of a "political stitch-up". 

Alex Chalk told GB News he had not seen the relevant information and it was now for the police to "take a view about it" as Mr Johnson faces fresh allegations of potential Covid rule-breaking.  

The Cabinet minister said: "Civil servants without any intervention from ministers, I want to stress that, took a decision to pass it to the police. 

"You talked about fairness, I haven’t seen those documents, quite properly they wouldn’t be passed to me and so really it is very difficult to say anything further about it, that is now with the police and they will have to take a view about it." 

The Metropolitan Police and Thames Valley Police yesterday confirmed that they were looking at gatherings Mr Johnson attended – including receiving visitors – in Downing Street and Chequers while prime minister.

It was prompted by the Cabinet Office handing over diary entries that were uncovered by lawyers working on Mr Johnson’s formal submission to the Covid Inquiry.

A spokesman for Mr Johnson said the allegations were "totally untrue" and suggested that the claims had been made for a "political purpose".

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