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The Tory Cabinet war has exploded into the open after the Defence Secretary reportedly warned Theresa May must give him £20billion - or he'll topple her.

The Prime Minister's former enforcer Gavin Williamson told defence chiefs "I made her and I can break her," according to the Mail on Sunday.

He is said to have demanded Mrs May match her £20bn-a-year of promised NHS funding with his own boost for defence - £20bn over 10 years.

Details of the apparent demand by Mr Williamson, who led Mrs May's leadership campaign and was her Chief Whip, leaked to the newspaper last night.

It is the latest damaging leak from Mr Williamson's allies - many of which involve demands for extra funding for Britain's troops.

(Image: PA)

The Defence Secretary was already embroiled in a row with Chancellor Philip Hammond over funds when he took office last year.

Now anonymous allies of Mr Williamson have claimed the Budget could be blocked by Tory rebels this autumn if there is not more cash for defence.

Tory MP Julian Lewis, chairman of the Commons defence committee, added: "There need be no political risk to the Prime Minister - if she does the right thing.

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"I've been in Parliament for 20 years and I've never known such unanimity.

"If the NHS can get an extra £20billion a year then defence surely deserves one tenth of that just to stand still."

(Image: PA)

Former head of the Army Lord Dannatt told the newspaper: "Does Mrs May really want to see Mr Williamson lurking on the back benches?"

And a source close to Mr Williamson told the newspaper: "There is a dogfight going on at the heart of government and Gavin is right to defend Britain's tier one status".

But Mr Williamson faces a backlash over what is the latest of a series of Westminster leaks - which conveniently portray the Defence Secretary as a brave man standing up to his boss.

An angry MP told the Sunday Times: "Gavin Williamson is whipping this up - he is running an operation".

(Image: Matt Cardy) (Image: Daily Mirror)

Mr Williamson faces a thinly-veiled slapdown from another Cabinet minister, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss.

"It is not macho to just demand more money," she is expected to say in a speech at the London School of Economics.

The apparent demand for cash has come despite Tory ministers still being unable to spell out where the money for the NHS will come from.

PM Mrs May unveiled the health service's 70th birthday present - £20.5billion a year in extra real terms funding by 2024.

But claims the 3.4% rise would be funded by a "Brexit dividend" unravelled after economists and Tory MPs said it did not exist.

Mrs May admitted much of the cash will come from higher taxes, yet has not said what those taxes will be.