Health Secretary Matt Hancock was fighting off a suspected bid to make him the “fall guy” for the Government’s mistakes during the coronavirus outbreak.
The top minister has been facing pressure over the official response to the crisis - in particular the failure to get enough protective equipment to the NHS and social care frontline.
It comes amid Cabinet grumblings over being kept out of discussions on easing the coronavirus lockdown, with the key decisions made before Sunday's Cabinet meeting.
Government insiders claimed that Mr Hancock was on “borrowed time” and that other ministers were “furious” about the PPE fiasco, according to reports.