Gavin Williamson is “furious” at what friends regard as an attempt by senior Tories to smear him following “untrue” claims he was overheard discussing his chances of succeeding Theresa May.

Allies of the Defence Secretary believe a senior party figure has “embellished” an eavesdroppers’ account of a conversation he had with a friend to make it sound as though he was plotting against Sajid Javid and Jeremy Hunt.

The Daily Telegraph has established that the man he was dining with was former MP James Wharton, who described descriptions of their conversation as “utter rubbish”.

However, the row reflects the bitter in-fighting between rival Cabinet ministers which has intensified since Mrs May announced she will not fight the next general election.

It came amid reports that supporters of Mrs May believe they can keep her in place until 2021, giving her enough time to clear out the Cabinet “old guard” in multiple reshuffles in order to hand over to a younger, more electable leader.