Leon Brittan, who served as Home Secretary under Margaret Thatcher, has been questioned by police in connection with a rape allegation, it emerged on Sunday.

The Independent on Sunday revealed that the 74-year-old Conservative peer was interviewed under caution last month after a woman claimed she was raped in London in 1967. His spokesperson said on Sunday Lord Brittan would not be commenting, but he is understood to strongly deny the allegation.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: “In late 2012, a woman alleged to the Metropolitan Police Service that she was raped by a man in 1967 at an address in London. The woman was over the age of 18 at the time of the incident.

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“In June 2014, a man aged in his 70s was interviewed under caution by appointment at a central London location in connection with the allegation. He was not arrested. Inquiries continue.”

The allegation is being investigated by officers from the Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command.