Boris Johnson denies Cummings claims he tried to protect fiancee's friend over leaks

Asked this evening if the claims were accurate, Mr Johnson said : "No, of course not". 
Asked if he will take legal action against Mr Cummings, he said: “I think there’s much more public interest in what we’re doing not just to procure ventilators.”

He said he was “mystified” as to why some people have “chosen to attack” his communications, but declined to say why No 10 insiders suspected Mr Cummings was behind leaks.

He added: “I think people aren’t so much interested in who is leaking what to whom as the substance of the issue at hand. The issue is really the question of the ventilators as you will remember James Dyson was offering to make.”

Later, a No 10 spokesperson said: "This government is entirely focused on fighting coronavirus, delivering vaccines and building back better.”

On the flat, they said: "At all times, the Government and Ministers have acted in accordance with the appropriate codes of conduct and electoral law. Cabinet Office officials have been engaged and informed throughout and official advice has been followed.

“All reportable donations are transparently declared and published – either by the Electoral Commission or the House of Commons registrar, in line with the requirements set out in electoral law.

“Gifts and benefits received in a ministerial capacity are, and will continue to be, declared in transparency returns.”

On the inquiry, they said: "The PM has never interfered in a government leak inquiry.”

The claims by Mr Cummings have come at the same time as Downing Street has published details outlining Mr Johnson's communications with billionaire Sir James Dyson, however stopped short of publishing their messages amid a lobbying row.

The Prime Minister insisted there is nothing “sleazy” about their discussions, however the summary published by No.10 falls short of what many had expected.

Instead of publishing their communications, No.10 issued a summary of contacts between Sir James and his representatives and the Government before the pair exchanged texts in late March.

Those messages were later leaked to the BBC, with former aide Dominic Cummings denying being the perpetrator despite claims from within Number 10.

“The exchange on this issue is in the public domain,” the Downing Street statement said.

The official disclosure came as a disappointment to opposition MPs seeking to scrutinise the Prime Minister’s correspondence amid sustained allegations of “cronyism”.

Mr Johnson promised to publish details of his communications with Sir James after being asked by SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford if he would “publish all personal exchanges”.

Mr Johnson said prior to the publication: "Let me tell you, if you think that there’s anything remotely dodgy or rum or weird or sleazy about trying to secure more ventilators at a time of a national pandemic and doing everything in your power to do that, then I think you are out of your mind."

Ian Blackford, the MP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber, said the situation "absolutely stinks".

He said: "The public have a right to know why Tory donors and friends have been handed contracts, special access, tax breaks and peerages, at a cost to the public purse of many millions of pounds. It absolutely stinks and it is eroding public trust in the UK government.

"As a first step, the Cabinet Secretary must immediately secure and publish all of Boris Johnson's private correspondence on Covid contracts. Intervening now will also guarantee that none of these records can be tampered with or destroyed as allegations mount.

"Whether it's Cash for Honours or Texts for Contracts, the public must have faith that this Tory cronyism will be fully investigated and rooted out - with those responsible held to account."