Boris Johnson, the former foreign secretary, was made aware of nine offences by foreign diplomats

Foreign envoys working in Britain used diplomatic immunity last year to avoid prosecution for 26 offences including assault, possession of drugs, making off without paying, dangerous driving and speeding.

The Foreign Office said that nine of the offences were so serious that they were brought to the attention of Boris Johnson, foreign secretary at the time. In one case officials asked for the alleged offender to be removed from their post. On two occasions the Metropolitan Police asked for immunity to be waived so that officers could launch investigations but embassies rejected the requests, according to details obtained under freedom of information rules.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We expect all foreign diplomats in the UK to abide by UK laws at all times.

“We