Theresa May had no choice but to sack Damian Green after he admitted making "misleading" statements over claims police found pornographic material on his Commons computer, Jeremy Hunt has said.

The Health Secretary said it was clear the prime minister acted with a "very heavy heart" when she asked Mr Green to resign as First Secretary of State for breaches of the ministerial code.

It came after an investigation by the Cabinet Office found suggestions he was not aware alleged indecent material was found in 2008, were "inaccurate and misleading".

Mr Hunt told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme it was clear Mr Green had "lied" and it was right that cabinet ministers were held to the "very highest standards of conduct".

"On this occasion, very, very sadly and I know with a very heavy heart, the Prime Minister took the decision that she had to. I am sure that she didn't want him to go."

Mr Hunt also said questions remain about the conduct of a retired police officer who leaked details that pornography material was found a raid.

On Thursday morning, Mr Green faced the media outside his home but declined to answer questions, insisting: "I'm not going to say anything beyond my statement."

He later tweeted that he had been "overwhelmed" by the number of messages of support he has received.

In her letter to Mr Green on Wednesday, Mrs May said she was "extremely sad" to ask him resign but stressed his behaviour "falls short" of the Seven Principles of Public Life.

"While I can understand the considerable distress caused to you by some of the allegations which have been made in recent weeks, I know that you share my commitment to maintaining the high standards which the public demands of ministers of the Crown," she wrote.

In his resignation letter, Mr Green apologised to the prime minister and spoke of his "regret" at being asked to resign.

"From the outset I have been clear that I did not download or view pornography on my Parliamentary computers."

"I accept that I should have been clear in my press statements that police lawyers talked to my lawyers in 2008 about the pornography on the computers, and that the police raised it with me in a subsequent phone call in 2013. I apologise that my statements were misleading on this point," he added.

The alleged pornographic material found on the computer was deemed lawful but one of the investigating officers said some of it was "extreme".

Two former police officers who leaked details of the alleged discover have been referred to the data protection watchdog, the head of the Metropolitan Police has said.

The claims were first made by former Met assistant commissioner Bob Quick.

A second officer involved in the 2008 investigation into Home Office leaks - former detective constable Neil Lewis - subsequently went public with similar allegations.

Appearing in front of the London Assembly, Commissioner Cressida Dicksaid: "We are disappointed to see that it appears that former colleagues have put into the public domain via the media material that they appear to have had access to as part of a confidential investigation.

She added: "We have made a referral to the Information Commissioner's Office as we believe that they are the appropriate people to carry on that investigation into essentially data protection matters."