As Ms Deacon rose to speak in Thursday's all-day debate about the National Health Service, Mr McConnell sat supportively at her side applauding frequently.

Mr Dewar: "Furious" at health cash row

She announced an extra �30m for hospital equipment including new X-rays and scanners.

And she said this year's record NHS spending and treatment levels gave the lie to opposition claims of crisis.

Ms Deacon said: "I'll tell you what else is real and that's the commitment of this minister and every single minister in this executive to investing and to building an NHS in Scotland which is truly fit for the future."

'Yellow card'

But Kay Ullrich of the SNP was scathing of Ms Deacon's performance.

She said: "What we have here is a beleaguered minister, not only having been mugged by the finance minister, shown the yellow card by the first minister, but with her dismal stewardship of the health service in Scotland laid bare for all to see."

Susan Deacon: Defended her record

And there was little comfort for Ms Deacon in the words of Scottish Conservative health spokeswoman Mary Scanlan.

"All of this in an executive where you are sacked for leaking, but you keep your job for incompetence," she said.

Mr Dewar's warning on Wednesday was delivered to Labour group MSPs by Minister for Parliament Tom McCabe.

Mr McCabe said he was asked to "convey in the strongest possible terms" Mr Dewar's anger and to warn that ministers who continued to brief against each other would be dismissed.

Executive sources insist Mr Dewar's warning was aimed at all ministers.