Boris Johnson confronted King Charles III over the Rwanda asylum policy, “squaring up” to him for branding the plan “appalling”, his former No 10 communications chief has said.

Speaking to LBC, Guto Harri has claimed the former prime minister and the then-Prince of Wales “had a bit of a showdown” in a remarkable meeting over royal interference in politics.

“It wasn’t a fight, obviously they didn’t square up to get in the ring, but Boris rightly challenged the unelected royal at the time, what was it for him to go calling a key government policy ‘appalling,’” Mr Harri explained.