Gavin Williamson this evening "strenuously" denied involvement in the Huawei leak which led to his sacking as defence secretary.
Sky News reported that the former minister swore on his children’s lives he was not responsible, while he also told The Sun: "I did not leak this, and to my dying day I will keep insisting that."
Mr Williamson was kicked out of Theresa May's cabinet after being linked to the disclosure of information from a National Security Council (NSC) meeting.
Downing Street said Mrs May asked Mr Williamson to leave the Government this evening having "lost confidence in his ability to serve".
The statement said this decision had been "informed by his conduct" during an investigation into the leak.
The PM told Mr Williamson, in a letter confirming his dismissal, there was "compelling evidence" he was responsible for leaking details from the meeting to a newspaper.
The information which leaked regarded the potential for Huawei to help create infrastructure for the UK's 5G network, which the Government denies has been confirmed.
In rebuttal to his dismissal, Mr Williamson wrote: "It has been a great privilege to serve as Defence Secretary and Chief Whip in your Government. Every day I have seen the extraordinary work of the men and women of our armed forces, who go to incredible lengths to defend our country.
"I am sorry that you feel recent leaks from the National Security Council originated in my department. I emphatically believe this was not the case. I strenuously deny that I was in any way involved in this leak and I am confident that a thorough and formal inquiry would have vindicated my position.
"I have always trusted my civil servants, military advisers and staff. I believe the assurances they have given me.
"I appreciate you offering me the option to resign, but to resign would have been to accept that I, my civil servants, my military advisers or my staff were responsible: this was not the case.
"Restoring public confidence in the NSC is an ambition we both share. With that in mind I hope that your decision achieves this aim rather than being seen as a temporary distraction.
"As I said there has been no greater privilege than working with our armed forces and I will continue to stand up for our service personnel and the superb work they do."
