Damian Green was sacked by Theresa May because he “lied”, Jeremy Hunt has said as he accused police officers who leaked details of a raid on the former First Secretary of State’s parliamentary office of actions that “don’t sit comfortably in a democracy”.

The Prime Minister called on Mr Green, a lifelong friend, to quit his role as the de facto deputy prime minister after he made "misleading" statements about allegations that police found pornography on computers in his office in 2008.

But Mr Hunt suggested Mr Green had been “pushed into a situation” where he said something he “didn’t mean to say”.

Mr Green’s departure from the frontbench has left a major hole at the heart of Mrs May’s Government with speculation now growing over who she could appoint as her replacement First Secretary of State.

Mr Hunt has already been tipped as a potential successor and he suggested he could be open to such a move, telling BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that Cabinet appointments “are a matter for the Prime Minister”.