Boris Johnson’s former aide Dominic Cummings has been blamed for the leaking of the prime minister’s text messages.
An internal inquiry has been launched into how messages between the prime minister and billionaire Sir James Dyson were leaked to journalists.
But reports said Downing Street sources are pointing the finger at Cummings, who quit as the PM’s senior adviser last year following a behind the scenes power struggle in No 10.
The Times, Daily Telegraph and Sun all reported comments from an insider naming Cummings.
“Dominic is engaged in systematic leaking,” a source told the Times. “We are disappointed about that.
“We are concerned about messages from private WhatsApp groups which have very limited circulation.”
The source suggested the PM was “saddened” and Cummings was “bitter” after his exit from No 10.
A No 10 source told the Sun that Johnson “fears Dom was responsible for the text message leaks about James Dyson and Mohammed bin Salman”.
The Telegraph said it is understood Cummings would have had legitimate access to the messages while he worked at No 10.
“If you join the dots it looks like it’s coming from Dom,” a source told the newspaper.
Cummings has not responded to the accusations.
No 10 had initially said there would not be a probe into how the exchange with Sir James was made public, but a change of course was announced on Thursday as it said an internal inquiry will be led by the Cabinet Office.
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