Theresa May faced a ferocious backlash from Gavin Williamson's Tory allies last night as MPs demanded to see the evidence showing he was behind the Huawei leak.
As the Tories plunged into a fresh civil war over his sacking, backbenchers lined up to criticise the treatment of the former defence secretary.
They are unhappy about the role of Cabinet Secretary Mark Sedwill, Britain's most senior civil servant, and claimed his leak inquiry was 'shambolic' and a 'kangaroo court'.
They insisted in the Commons that Mrs May publish the 'compelling evidence' that led her to blame Mr Williamson for last week's leak from a National Security Council (NSC) discussion into whether Huawei should have a role in Britain's 5G network.
Prime Minister Theresa May (left) has infuriated her backbenchers who believe Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill (right) should reveal how his investigation into the Huawei leak came to its conclusions
Williamson shared this snap on his Instagram on Thursdaywith the caption: 'When you have had a pretty tough week it’s rather nice to get out and about with some really good company. #dogsofinstagram #dogs'
Meanwhile, Mr Williamson insisted he would 'massively welcome' a police investigation into the accusation that he leaked details to a journalist, claiming it would 'absolutely exonerate' him.
He added: 'As soon as they have the reporter's notepad it would show I didn't say anything, then I would get the nicest apology from the Prime Minister, far nicer than the last letter she sent me.'
Mr Williamson said his first reaction on hearing the NSC story was that the Government had revealed details from the meeting, adding: 'I thought, "The buggers, they've leaked the sodding thing".'
He is understood to have complained that he was interviewed for around two hours last Friday during the leak inquiry, in which 'scraps of paper' were used as evidence, while other ministers only faced grillings of 20 to 30 minutes.
The former defence secretary admits that at around 5.30pm on the day of the NSC he had an 11-minute phone call with the journalist who wrote the Huawei story. But he insists this does not mean he was the source of the leak.
Whitehall sources claim there is other evidence against Mr Williamson. However, it was claimed last night that Mr Williamson was refused a copy of the report of Sir Mark's investigation.
Mark Sedwill and Jeremy Hunt (left) in January - Tory MPs are unhappy with Sedwill's role in Williamson's sacking
Then NATO's civilian representative in Afghanistan Mark Sedwill answers a question during a press briefing in Islamabad on May 4, 2010 - he is the most senior civil servant in the land
Mr Williamson also criticised the 'haphazard way' it was carried out and complained to friends that he was only fired because of information he had volunteered.
However, Downing Street appeared to kill off the prospect of a police investigation last night as it emerged that Sir Mark had ruled against referring the matter to Scotland Yard on the grounds that the alleged leak did not constitute a criminal offence.
And despite opposition MPs clamouring for a criminal probe, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick
