Tory MPs voiced alarm yesterday after Downing Street blocked Boris Johnson from appointing a long-standing aide as his chief of staff.
One MP said it was “irregular” for No 10 to interfere with the foreign secretary’s appointments to his own office, and feared it was a sign of Downing Street throwing its weight around.
Will Walden, who was previously Johnson’s £130,000-a-year director of communications at City Hall, had been expected to be confirmed in a more senior role in Whitehall as strategic adviser and chief of staff.
However, Walden has now withdrawn his application after it became clear that the prime minister’s office was refusing to sign it off.   Downing Street did not comment or explain its refusal yesterday.
A Tory MP said the incident would alarm backbenchers. “It is a big surprise that the number three in the government is not being allowed to appoint his own staff,” said the MP. “It is quite irregular.”
The dispute comes after signs that No 10 wants to keep tight control over rival ministers and their special advisers.
It emerged yesterday that Walden had been working unpaid in Johnson’s office while his official status was discussed. 
He offered to work for a substantial salary cut after No 10 initially questioned his proposed remuneration, and then proposed a reduced title when the objections changed. 
Although he had a Foreign Office pass and accompanied Johnson on official trips, he was unable to get a parliamentary pass because of the situation. After three months of uncertainty, and with no final response from No 10, he is understood to have concluded that he was unlikely to be confirmed and decided to formally withdraw his job application.
A No 10 spokesman said: “Walden has withdrawn his application. We have no comment to make.”  A friend of Johnson said: “Boris wanted Will to stay and fought hard for him. But at the end of the day he had to respect the situation.”