Neighbour Tom Penn tipped off the police after hearing the couple arguing just after midnight on Friday. He also made a recording of the incident which he played to the Guardian, during which a woman can be heard saying “get off me”. The incident triggered huge amounts of publicity, and Mr Johnson subsequently ducked a series of questions on the subject posed by Iain Dale at a hustings event in Birmingham on Saturday, as well as others asked by Laura Kuennsberg, the BBC’s political editor, in an interview yesterday.
Leadership challenger Jeremy Hunt is among those who have called on Mr Johnson to offer an explanation – but Mr Baker, a former Brexit minister and vice-chairman of the Eurosceptic European Research Group (ERG), is not one of them.
He told Express.co.uk: “I think Boris is absolutely entitled to a private life.
“People can ask all the questions they want but this is not reality television.
“There are serious questions about policy to be asked which need to be answered, rather than this.
“The fact is people do have rows behind closed doors – we don’t need to know the details.
“No offences have been committed here. Somebody’s spilt some wine from the sounds of it.”
Mr Baker decided to back Mr Johnson after being convinced of his commitment to taking Britain out of the European Union on October 31, on World Trade Organization (WTO) terms if necessary.
He claimed Mr Johnson was being targeted for “political reasons” by people desperate to prevent him from becoming Britain’s next Prime Minister.
He added: “It’s precisely because Boris Johnson is the right man to take us out of the EU that he faces this strident opposition.”
Mr Johnson rejected criticism of his Tory leadership campaign during a “walkabout” visit to Surrey alongside his ousted former contender Dominic Raab.
The front-runner to become Britain’s next prime minister also flatly refused to comment on a photograph of him with girlfriend Carrie Symonds, which was published in the media yesterday.
Mr Johnson visited Oxshott, part of Mr Raab’s Esher and Walton constituency, on Tuesday afternoon, visiting several local businesses to push his leadership agenda.
He posed for photos during a brief stop at a cafe, before spending £4.50 on fennel and tarragon sausages in a butcher shop then stopping for a drink in a pub.
Asked whether criticism of his campaign so far – and willingness to face scrutiny – was fair, he said: “I think that question is beyond satire.
“We’re out campaigning and we’re getting a fantastic response.”
He said he had “not noticed” comments surrounding his apparent lack of public appearances, or decision to dodge debates with his opponent, Jeremy Hunt, who has also suggested Mr Johnson should address the incident involving the police.
