About a dozen Tory MPs have been allegedly blackmailed by Government whips and Boris Johnson to quash their attempts to remove the Prime Minister from office, the chairman of the Commons Standards Committee has claimed.

       Labour MP Chris Bryant said he has spoken to several Conservative MPs in recent days who have been threatened by Tory whips either with having funding withdrawn from their constituencies or promised funding if they vote "the right way".

       "I have even heard MPs alleging that the Prime Minister himself has been doing this," Mr Bryant told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

       "What I have said to all of those people is that that is misconduct in public office. The people who should be dealing with such allegations are the police.

       "It is illegal. We are meant to operate as MPs without fear or favour. The allocation of taxpayer funding to constituencies should be according to need, not according to the need to keep the Prime Minister in his job.

       "The levelling up funds that have been introduced in the last two years are an open opportunity for Government ministers to corruptly hand out money to some MPs and not to others."

       A spokesman for Downing Street said that an investigation into the allegations of blackmail would only be launched “if there was any evidence” to support the claims, despite calls from Labour and Tory MPs.

       A spokesman for the Prime Minister said: “We’re not aware of any evidence to support what are clearly serious allegations.

       “If there was any evidence to support it, it would of course be looked at.”

       On Saturday, it emerged detectives from Scotland Yard are planning to meet a leading rebel Conservative next week to discuss claims of threats and blackmail of backbenchers by the government.

       A detective Metropolitan Police will meet with William Wragg, a senior Tory MP who first raised the concerns, to discuss the allegations, including the threats to withdraw investments from constituents.

       It marks a major escalation in the battle between the government's whips' office and a minority of increasingly angry Conservative backbenchers, frustrated with Boris Johnson's leadership.

       The news is likely to prompt fears in the Conservative high command that if the Metropolitan Police believe there is enough evidence to investigate it could very quickly escalate out of control and become a major distraction to the Government.

       The claims of intimidation comes as Mr Johnson battles to remain in power ahead of the result of senior civil servant Sue Gray's inquiry into allegations of rule-breaking partying during coronavirus restrictions.

       The result of her investigation is not expected until next week.