Tony Blair accused David Cameron of “smearing” ministers and spin-doctors today as he rejected demands for an inquiry into claims by the country’s senior anti-terror police chief that leaks had placed lives at risk.

The Conservative leader had challenged the Prime Minister to set up an immediate inquiry into Scotland Yard’s suggestion that culprits were trying to “squeeze out some short-term presentational advantage” by secretly briefing on anti-terror operations.

Remarks by Peter Clarke, Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner, were interpreted as an attack on the Government’s army of special advisers, or “spin doctors”, who have been accused of trying to score political points from terror investigations.

Mr Clarke’s speech referred to a recent series of police raids in Birmingham. The media were reporting details of an alleged plot almost before the detainees had arrived at police stations to be questioned.

Although the police refused to discuss details, a number of outlets soon began reporting allegations that the detained men were suspected of planning to kidnap a Muslim soldier, and then torture and behead him.

Mr Cameron asked Mr Blair to guarantee that the leaks had not come from either ministers or special advisers.

The Prime Minister said they had not come from those sources “as far as I am aware”, adding that he would “completely condemn” any such leaks and would hold a full investigation if there was any evidence.

Mr Cameron asked: “If you don’t have a leak inquiry, how on earth can you know?”

But Mr Blair told him if he gave him evidence he would investigate it. “I am not going to have a situation where he makes these allegations, and then leaves them hanging there without any evidence to back them up. If I were unkind I would call that a smear."

Later David Davis, the Shadow Home Secretary, wrote to Sir Gus O’Donnell, the Cabinet secretary, calling for an inquiry into Mr Clarke’s allegations.

The Liberal Democrats also called for an investigation into the leaks.The party published a dossier of alleged off-the-record briefings on terrorism issues referred to by newspapers over the last five years.

It included a list of comments by “Whitehall sources” - the phrase used by journalists when an official in the security services, Government, police or another official capacity does not wish to be named.

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