The Metropolitan Police confirmed that officers were called to a flat in south London at 12.24am yesterday after receiving a call from a person "concerned for the welfare of a female neighbour".

Symonds, 31, a former Conservative Party press chief, has been living at the flat with Johnson, 55, the former foreign secretary, since he split from his wife Marina last year.

According to The Guardian, Johnson can be heard on the neighbour's recording refusing to leave the flat and saying "get off my ----ing laptop" before a loud crashing noise.

Symonds is reported to have told Johnson he had ruined a sofa with red wine and said: "You just don't care for anything because you're spoilt. You have no care for money or anything." The neighbour said there was a noise like the smashing of plates, followed by "a couple of very loud screams".

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The neighbour said they knocked on the front door three times and after receiving no response called the police.

A spokesman for Scotland Yard said: "Police attended and spoke to all occupants of the address, who were all safe and well. There were no offences or concerns apparent to the officers and there was no cause for police action."

Johnson's campaign team declined to comment.

Johnson was photographed leaving the flat at 11.10am, before addressing Conservative councillors at an event in London.

Hunt and Johnson on Friday will face Conservative Party members in Birmingham in the first of 16 regional hustings events before the membership picks a winner in a month's time.

On Thursday, Kay Burley, the Sky News presenter, said Johnson had refused to take part in a debate scheduled for Tuesday, in which Hunt has already agreed to appear.

Hunt said Tory members would begin receiving voting slips on July 5, but Johnson has only committed to a televised debate on July 9, meaning potentially large numbers of members will already have posted their votes before they see the two candidates in action.

He goaded the leadership front-runner with a reference to Johnson's great hero Winston Churchill, saying: "This is supposed to be his finest hour... but if you're going to hide away, that's not democracy."

Hunt made an energetic start to the campaign yesterday by meeting the public in Worcester, visiting two businesses in the Midlands, attending a hustings for Conservative councillors in London and a dinner for party members in Surrey.

Johnson also attended the London event, which was held behind closed doors, but did not make any other appearances. Hunt said: "I believe I can win, because I've got the vision for our country, I've got the plan to make us walk tall in the world by increasing spending on defence, transforming our education system and abolishing illiteracy.

"Boris may have an exciting vision as well. So far we've heard about tax cuts for the rich. I'm sure there are some other things there, but he needs to get out and tell them so we can have a debate about it."

Telegraph, London