Hammond must be reminded who’s boss
WHOSE side is Philip Hammond on – Britain’s, or Jean-Claude Juncker’s? This is the simple question the Chancellor needs to ask himself, after a calamitous week in what has so far been a pretty undistinguished career.
The fact that ‘Spreadsheet Phil’, that lugubrious Eeyore character, is doggedly opposed to Brexit is not new. Indeed, he has endlessly called for delays and talked down our country’s chances of success.
But this week he went further. Much further. Writing in The Times, he suggested he wouldn’t commit a penny to preparing for a breakdown in negotiations until he deemed it ‘responsible’ to do so.
Leave aside that Theresa May was forced to slap him down in the Commons, making it clear that money has indeed been set aside for this contingency (though Mr Hammond has insisted planning for ‘no deal’ must not go beyond paperwork).
By suggesting a failure to agree was not worth preparing for, he treacherously undermined the Prime Minister’s strongest bargaining card – her repeated insistence that ‘no deal is better than a bad deal’.
It is as if he is determined to jeopardise a fair deal, in the hope that the country will change its mind. No wonder his far more distinguished forerunner at the Treasury, Lord Lawson, has branded his behaviour as ‘very close to sabotage’.
The irony is that the Chancellor’s latest attempt at appeasement came in the week Brussels at last showed signs of softening its refusal to discuss a trade deal. What an idiotic moment to run up the white flag!
In stark contrast to Mr Hammond’s pessimism, this was also the week Jeremy Hunt and Liz Truss – ministers who backed Remain – signalled a significant change in the wind by joining the Brexit camp.
Their sentiments were echoed by business leaders, who came out in force to express optimism over trading opportunities.
Yet instead of encouraging them, Eeyore chose to revive Project Fear – the brainchild of former Chancellor George Osborne – raising the preposterous scare that all flights in and out of Britain could be grounded the day after Brexit.
Does he really think the public are stupid enough to believe Mr Juncker would shut Europe’s biggest air transport hub and sacrifice countless jobs in the EU’s tourism and other industries?
To be fair to the European Commission president, he makes no secret of his plans for the Brussels empire. In his state of the union speech last month, he demanded admission for more migrants, more open borders, a common European finance and defence policy and the imposition of the euro on all member states. Is this what Mr Hammond wants for Britain? If so, shouldn’t he be asking himself if he can honourably remain in a Government whose central mission is pulling out?
Mrs May has been endlessly patient with her Chancellor – though with the charisma of a cold halibut, and no allies at Westminster, he can hardly be seen as a threat.
But as the Mail observed this week, she now needs to get a grip. This means beefing up her team, stamping her authority on the Cabinet and appointing ministers committed to respecting the people’s will. She needs to remind Mr Hammond that she is in charge of the Government’s strategy, not him. He must snap out of his defeatism – and start batting for Britain. AS shops stop accepting the round £1 coin on Monday, readers will still be able to exchange them in banks and Post Offices. But this paper has a better idea for putting them to good use. Today, the Mail joins the Make-A-Wish Foundation to launch our Quids For Kids appeal, to cheer up Christmas for seriously ill children. Details of how to donate the old coins are on Pages 28 & 29. We know our unfailingly generous readers will respond.