A Conservative minister has criticised Maria Miller's 32-second apology but said it was for David Cameron to decide on the Culture Secretary's future.
Esther McVey's comments came as Tory activists warned the Prime Minister's "completely irrational" support for his minister was damaging the party ahead of the European elections next month and the General election campaign.
Mr Cameron is under increasing pressure to remove Mrs Miller from her post after Parliament's sleaze watchdog ordered her to apologise and repay £5,800 following an expenses investigation six days ago.
The Culture Secretary, who on Tuesday morning attended the Cabinet meeting, gave the briefest of statement's in the House of Commons to voice her regret over her attitude to the inquiry into allowances claims she had made for a second home.
Boris Johnson sidestepped questions over the Culture Secretary Ms McVey said: "I can honestly say it wouldn't be how I would have made an apology.
"But different people have different styles and do things in different ways."
Asked if Mrs Miller should keep her job, the Employment Minister told ITV's The Agenda: "David Cameron has the final say on this. He's standing by her."
The Prime Minister has continued to offer Mrs Miller his "full confidence", said she had "done the right thing" and urged the press to "leave it there".
A ComRes survey commissioned by Conservative Grassroots, an organisation founded by senior party activists, found that two in three Tory voters thought Mr Cameron should have sacked Mrs Miller.
Maria Miller apology: Gone in 32 seconds An online petition calling for Mrs Miller to repay £45,000 or go has now amassed 130,000 names.
Mr Cameron is due to address the influential Conservative backbench 1922 committee on Wednesday, where he is likely to face a rough ride and spoke yesterday with its chairman Graham Brady.
London Mayor Boris Johnson on Tuesday morning repeatedly sidestepped questions over whether the Culture Secretary should go.
Independent Standards Authority chairman Sir Ian Kennedy Speaking on the Radio 4 Today programme he finally said: "I don't know the facts of the case in great detail but it seems to me she is being hounded quite a lot and I suppose my natural sympathies go out to people being in a hounded situation. How about that?"
One Tory MP told Sky's Political Correspondent Sophy Ridge: "It's what people want to talk about on doorstep and in the pub,everyone has the same view except the Prime Minister."
Conservative Grassroots Chairman Robert Woollard, a former constituency party chairman, said: "Mr Cameron's support of the Culture Secretary is completely irrational.
"When David Cameron spoke about the need for the actions of those in Parliament to pass the smell test, it was exactly for such occasions as these.
"Well this whole issue stinks and as this poll finds, it is incredibly damaging to our party and the PM personally."
The Culture Secretary has agreed to pay back £5,800 wrongly claimed on a second home in Wimbledon, southwest London.
However, it emerged the Commissioner for Parliamentary Standards had found she should repay £45,000 but been over-ruled by the Standards Committee, made up of 10 MPs and three independent members who have not vote.
It has sparked calls for further changes to a system that allows MPs to police their own expenses, including from the chairman of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority Sir Ian Kennedy.
Mrs Miller has also been forced to deny she will seek to dodge a capital gains tax bill on the £1.47m sale of her partly taxpayer-funded Wimbledon home.
A Number 10 source admitted some MPs had concerns over Mrs Miller, but added: "There are plenty of MPs who have got in touch to say they strongly back Maria as well."
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