Boris Johnson was accused of committing his first gaffe as Prime Minister after breaching royal protocol just hours into the job.

Mr Johnson held his first audience with the Queen on Wednesday afternoon at Buckingham Palace, where he accepted her invitation to form the next Government and become PM.

What passes between the Queen and her prime minister during their private meetings is supposed to remain private, but when the inevitable leak does happen it is usually well after the event.

But it appears the outspoken politician may have already revealed what was said during their 25-minute meeting in the Queen's private apartment.

As he was being shown around his new offices in Downing Street, he was reported to have told staff in No 10 that the Queen had told him: “I don’t know why anyone would want the job.”