Watch: The moment Dominic Raab is wrong-footed by Lord McDonald’s letter on Chris Pincher

Dominic Raab has said it is “news to me” that Boris Johnson was allegedly directly told about a formal complaint against Chris Pincher, in the wake of claims by a former top official.

Mr Raab appeared to learn about a letter by Lord McDonald, which accused No 10 of lying, live on breakfast television. He continued to insist he did not think the PM was “directly briefed”.

The Justice Secretary repeatedly suggested Mr Johnson was unaware of any specific details over a complaint made in 2019 against Mr Pincher, who resigned from Government after a series of allegations emerged last week.

Lord McDonald, the former permanent secretary at the Foreign Office, said in a letter Mr Johnson had been briefed “in person” about the investigation.

He accused Downing Street of “telling the truth and crossing your fingers at the same time”, claiming that the allegations were “‘resolved’ only in the sense that the investigation was completed; Mr Pincher was not exonerated”.

Mr Raab, who was asked about the scandal at oral questions in the House of Commons later on, faced a series of uncomfortable interviews as part of his morning media round batting for the Government.

Asked if he informed Mr Johnson of the investigation, he told Sky News: “No, and I wouldn’t expect to in relation to something that fell below the bar of disciplinary action.”

But in a letter to the standards commissioner, Lord McDonald accused Downing Street of claims in recent days that were “not true”.

“The original No 10 line is not true and the modification is still not accurate,” he wrote. “Mr Johnson was briefed in person about the initiation and outcome of the investigation.

“There was a ‘formal complaint’. Allegations were ‘resolved’ only in the sense that the investigation was completed; Mr Pincher was not exonerated. To characterise the allegations as ‘unsubstantiated’ is therefore wrong.”

Speaking to BBC Breakfast after Lord McDonald’s letter was published, Mr Raab said: “That is news to me that the Prime Minister was briefed on the specific complaint that was made and then the outcome, precisely because it didn’t lead to a formal disciplinary grievance process, let alone formal action.”

He later told BBC Radio 4: “I have discussed this with the Prime Minister over the last 24 hours, it is not my understanding that he was directly briefed.”

Will Quince, a junior minister, insisted on Monday’s broadcast round he had been given “categorical assurance” Mr Johnson did not know about specific complaints.

Therese Coffey, the Work and Pensions Secretary, on Sunday said she was also given an assurance by somebody “from the Downing Street press office” that Mr Johnson had been “unaware” of specific allegations.

On Friday, a Downing Street spokesman told journalists the Prime Minister was not aware of “specific” or “substantiated” allegations against Mr Pincher in February 2022, when he was appointed deputy chief whip.

One Tory MP said he would rather “dip my head in a bucket of sick” than have to go on the radio defending the Government’s handling of the Pincher affair.