Liam Fox has said that he will not resign from the cabinet amid fresh allegations about his relationship with his former flatmate Adam Werritty.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday Fox insisted the cabinet secretary is continuing to look into the allegations.
Fox earlier denied he had anything to hide amid claims journalists were misled about the circumstances of a burglary at his home.
The defence secretary confirmed reports that a friend had been staying at his London property when thieves broke in during the general election campaign, but stressed it was not Werritty.
He added that he was not sure why the media had been given the impression he was alone.
"As I told the police at the time, a friend was staying in the guest room," Fox said in a statement. "My wife was stranded in Hong Kong due to the ash cloud. For the sake of clarity, it wasn't Adam Werritty. I was a victim of a violent crime and I'm appalled at being portrayed as having something to hide. We're trying to establish why the media were given the impression I was alone."
Fox was also defended by Chris Grayling, the employment minister and the defence secretary's former campaign head during the 2005 Conservative leadership contest.
"I have not seen anything emerge in any of this that gives me rise to believe that Liam has done anything substantially wrong that would call his position into question," Grayling told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.