One of Theresa May's ministers has dismissed claims that the Prime Minister has "lost her authority and is "dead in the water".

Justice Secretary David Lidington told Sky News' Sophy Ridge on Sunday the alleged comments from a senior Tory were "a silly story" and that "self-indulgent gossip really doesn't help anybody".

Former chief whip Andrew Mitchell has played down reports in a number of Sunday newspapers that he made the comments at a private dinner on 26 June, the day Mrs May struck a deal with the Democratic Unionist Party to prop up her minority government.

A Conservative MP present at the gathering told the Mail on Sunday: "Mr Mitchell effectively said she was dead in the water.

"He said she was weak, had lost her authority, couldn't go on and we needed a new leader. Some of us were very surprised and disagreed with him."


Image: Andrew Mitchell pictured with David Davis in 2013

But Mr Mitchell told Sky News this was an "overheated report of a private dinner conversation".

When asked whether Mrs May should resign, he did not answer the question.

The Sutton Coldfield MP is an ally of Brexit Secretary David Davis, who is seen as a potential successor to Mrs May, and ran his friend's failed 2005 leadership bid.

Mr Mitchell, who resigned as chief whip after swearing at a police officer at the gates of Downing Street in the "Plebgate" affair, did not mention Mr Davis in his comments at the One Nation Commons dining club of Tory MPs, of which he is the secretary.

Image: There are claims Theresa May has lost her authority

Responding to the story, Mr Lidington said: "There's always in July a lot of gossip - hot weather, people going to rather too many summer parties for their own good, and you get this sort of silly story.

"What I see with the Prime Minister and my Cabinet colleagues is a Government that's knuckling down to work, that's saying look, the public gave us the election result, we have to live with that, make adjustments to that.

"But there's big problems out there; the impact of digital technology on our economy, how we reform and fund our public services in the future, how we deal with a huge generational issue like social care.

"I think the public want the Government to be getting on with that.

"Self-indulgent gossip really doesn't help anybody. We need to get the job done."

He denied the PM had lost her authority, saying: "I see somebody who is very determined to lead and get on with the job."