Boris Johnson will "just say no" if Theresa May tries to demote him, his allies have said as they warned sacking him as Foreign Secretary would undermine Brexit and destabilise the Government.

The Prime Minister is instead being urged by members of her Cabinet to sack Philip Hammond, the Chancellor, for "making Brexit hard" and being "miserable".

Mrs May indicated that Mr Johnson could be moved into another Cabinet role in a reshuffle at the end of the month, saying that she would not "hide from a challenge".

Her comments prompted a furious response from Mr Johnson's backers, with one Tory minister saying that there is a "stench of death" emanating from Downing Street.

They warned that the Prime Minister lacks the authority to demote Mr Johnson in the wake of her disastrous General Election performance and chaotic conference speech.