Scotland Yard's deputy commissioner briefed Downing Street about the Ron Davies affair just 40 minutes before the former Welsh Secretary arrived for a meeting with the Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, the Home Office has revealed.
A senior Home Office spokesman confirmed that the deputy commissioner, Mr John Stevens, discussed the incident with No 10 in a telephone call from the office of the Home Secretary, Mr Jack Straw, after he had informed Mr Straw. Mr Stevens had travelled the short distance from New Scotland Yard to the Home Office before "dropping in" on Mr Straw "as a matter of courtesy", the spokesman said.
It appears that although Mr Stevens's briefing - first to the Home Secretary and then to Downing Street - was not given first hand to Mr Blair, details of the incident on Clapham Common were beginning to circulate among ministers and Downing Street advisers before Mr Davies met Mr Blair to tender his resignation.
Senior police sources are reported as being deeply concerned about the different versions of the incident given by Mr Davies in public and to the police.
Meanwhile, the new Welsh Secretary, Mr Alun Michael, has caused a dilemma for the Labour Party in Wales with his decision to stand for election as leader of the Welsh assembly. Mr Michael, who is the Labour leadership's preferred candidate for the post, is facing a challenge from the backbench Labour MP, Mr Rhodri Morgan, who failed to win backing for the job earlier this year when he stood against Mr Davies.
Mr Michael wants Mr Morgan to unite the Welsh Labour Party by running as his deputy but Mr Morgan is adamant that Mr Michael should be his deputy.