Nadine Dorries suggests Government is trying to influence Commons probe into Boris Johnson

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A close ally of Boris Johnson has suggested the Government passed entries from his pandemic diary to the police to influence a parliamentary inquiry that could lead to the former prime minister being ousted from the Commons.

Nadine Dorries accused the Cabinet Office of "acting inappropriately and making false claims" after passing information to police and the Commons Privileges Committee on previously undisclosed meetings Mr Johnson had at Chequers during the pandemic.

The former culture secretary suggested there was a link between Cabinet Office officials' decision and the fact the committee is due to rule within weeks on whether Mr Johnson misled Parliament over alleged Covid lockdown breaches when he was in No 10.

The committee has the power to suspend Mr Johnson from the Commons if he is found guilty of misleading MPs.

A 10-day suspension would automatically trigger a potentially career-ending recall petition that could lead to a by-election in his Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat.

Asked about the diaries, Ms Dorries told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: "Anybody who thinks but just weeks before the Privileges Committee were about to announce their findings into the inquiry, that this just happened to just happen to be discovered and found and reported, I'm afraid it's for the birds."

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Pressed by Kuenssberg to provide evidence for her suggestions, Ms Dorries replied: "The only people that were acting inappropriately and making false claims are those who have sent these diaries off to the police and off to the Privileges Committee just a few weeks before the Privilege Committee was about to report on its findings."

Meanwhile, Ms Dorries also insisted she has not been told whether reports that she will be nominated for a peerage in Mr Johnson's resignation honours, due in weeks, are correct.

"I've never officially been told that it's happening," she said. "The only thing I've seen is a leak to the newspaper, so I don't expect anything in this life… I'll just take whatever comes my way."

No 10 and the Cabinet Office are adamant that ministers were not involved when Whitehall officials passed concerns to the Metropolitan Police and Thames Valley Police.

But anonymous allies of Mr Johnson have briefed the Sunday newspapers to blame Deputy Prime Minister, Oliver Dowden, and Jeremy Quin, the senior ministers of the Cabinet Office, for putting their former leader in the spotlight over lockdown breaches again.

The entries reportedly revealed visits by Mr Johnson's friends to Chequers - the prime minister's country estate - and events in Downing Street during the pandemic.

The Sunday Times reported that this included visits from Richard Sharp, who was forced to resign as BBC chairman last month over dealings with Mr Johnson, and his friend Sam Blyth.

The pair had months before discussed how Mr Blyth could provide financial support to his distant cousin Mr Johnson, with the former guaranteeing a loan of up to £800,000, the newspaper reported.

Visits by Lord Brownlow, who helped pay for Mr Johnson's controversial refurbishment of Downing Street, and friends of the ex-PM's wife, Carrie Johnson, were also said to be among those at Chequers by The Sunday Times.

A spokesman for Mr Sharp told the newspaper the dinner was outdoors and was "Covid compliant" as the rule of six applied, and that the former BBC executive considered it a business meeting.

A spokesman for Mr Johnson has said all meetings were lawful.

Mr Johnson on Saturday branded the revelations about his diaries "a load of absolute nonsense".