Minister for civil society, Rob Wilson, has become embroiled in a row with the chief constable of Thames Valley Police after he claimed that she warned him off raising complaints in Parliament about errors allegedly made by the force in a child abuse case.

Sara Thornton, one of the UK’s most senior policewomen, has categorically denied Wilson’s claims and said his comments were potentially libellous.

The BBC and Mail on Sunday have reported that Wilson said he received “darkly veiled threats” from members of Thames Valley Police in 2008 after he offered to raise in Parliament the case of one of his constituents who claimed that failings by the force allowed a convicted paedophile to abuse her young son.

Thames Valley Police is the force local to Wilson's Reading constituency.

Wilson said he received phone calls from “at least two” members of the Thames Valley force warning him off raising the issue in the Commons, and that Sara Thornton was one of those callers.

But Ms Thornton, who is to become head of the new National Police Chiefs’ Council next month, said in a statement: “Such allegations are unfounded and potentially libellous. I will be writing to Mr Wilson directly to seek clarification on exactly what he has alleged.

“I am extremely concerned that such serious allegations, relating to alleged events over six years ago, now appear to have been made via the media and not with the force directly via any formal complaint, either at the time of the case in 2006 or at any point since.”

Wilson in turn accused Thornton of trying to close down the discussion and deflect attention from the errors made by the police force. He told the Mail: “From the very beginning I have sought transparency and openness and it is a shame that the police are still seeking to close down a reasonable and honest debate.”

The Cabinet Office declined to comment, saying it was a matter for Wilson’s Parliamentary office, not his ministerial office.