Boris Johnson's neighbours were right to record disturbance and call police, Britain's most senior police officer says

‘If somebody has made a recording, that can be very helpful,’ Cressida Dick says

Britain’s most senior police officer has said it was right for Boris Johnson’s neighbours to call the police to a domestic disturbance at his home.

Metropolitan Police commissioner Cressida Dick said officers were “called about the welfare of people” inside the London flat in the early hours of Friday morning.

“We called, we spoke to both people and there was no cause for us to take any further action,” she told LBC radio.

“I think it is important that people call the police when they’re worried about somebody.”

Some of Mr Johnson’s supporters have accused the neighbours who intervened of attempting to thwart his leadership prospects, or called for them to be investigated for handing a recording of the incident to the media.

The man who contacted police called the allegations “bizarre and fictitious” and said he only phoned police after knocking three times on the door of the property that Mr Johnson shares with his partner Carrie Symonds.

Questioned over the legality of recordings, Ms Dick declined to comment on whether they should have been given to journalists but added: “It can be helpful for us if there is evidence of a crime that we are going to be investigating if somebody has made a recording.”

Amid claims that the Scotland Yard press office initially refused to provide details, the commissioner said it had not been treated any differently because of the figures involved and police would not routinely put incidents where no offences were committed in the public domain.

Mr Johnson said it was “simply unfair“ to ”drag“ his loved ones into the political arena when questioned on the disturbance later on Tuesday.

“I do not talk about stuff involving my family, my loved ones,” he added. “If you do, you drag them into things that ... in a way that is not fair on them.“

The Conservative Party leadership race was previously hit by some candidates’ admissions that they had taken drugs in the past.

Michael Gove admitted that he took cocaine on a number of occasions more than 20 years ago, while Mr Johnson said he thought he had been offered it once, but he sneezed so that it did not go up his nose.

Rory Stewart said he had smoked opium at a wedding in Iran 15 years ago, while Jeremy Hunt said he drank a cannabis lassi while backpacking in India.

Ms Dick said she personally looked into the confessions but concluded they should not be investigated further.

“With things being so historic that are being talked about, it’s almost certainly not in the public interest,” she added. “In the cases we have read about there is no sign that there would be sufficient evidence to bring somebody to court.”

Her appearance came after five people were murdered in five days in London, with the outbreak of violence sparking a fresh war of words between Donald Trump and Sadiq Khan.

Ms Dick said she did not “want to get into an argument with the president of the US” but added: “Compared with so many cities, including all the major American cities, London is a safe city.

“We are absolutely focused on driving down violent crime and with a huge effort, and not enough resources, we are making inroads.”

The commissioner insisted that long-term statistics showed the “tide was turning”, but said she understood that people were frightened.

Homicides have fallen by 20 per cent in the past financial year, the number of stabbings of under-25s by 20 per cent, fatal shootings were down and moped crime had halved, she added.

Ms Dick repeated claims that slashed police budgets and falling officer numbers were linked to crime rates and violence, as the government faces calls to increase funding in a forthcoming spending review.