Betraying Brexit

WITH every month that has passed since January’s botched Cabinet reshuffle, it has become ever clearer what a glaring opportunity the Prime Minister missed to sack her errant Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Yes, Philip Hammond tried his best in the Spring Statement to mute his defeatist Eeyore-tendencies and sound upbeat about the state of the economy (and how could he not, with all the indicators pointing in the right direction?)

But not for a minute does this paper believe the Cabinet’s arch-Europhile has truly changed his ways. Indeed, there is growing evidence that behind the scenes, ‘Spreadsheet Phil’ is using the immense power of the Treasury to undermine Brexit.

Across Whitehall, Cabinet ministers are fuming at the lack of money to prepare for no deal. Despite promises from No 10 last year that the spending taps would be turned on, contingency planning has all but ground to a halt.

By deliberately obstructing these essential preparations, Mr Hammond invites the Commission to offer us the worst deal possible, and undermines the Prime Minister’s strongest bargaining card – her repeated insistence, that ‘no deal is better than a bad deal’.

This is nothing less than an unforgivable betrayal. But if he thinks this act of sabotage will convince the country to change its mind, he is sorely wrong.

Now is the time for the Prime Minister to go on the front foot against the Commission bureaucrats who think they can sneer at Britain with impunity.

So what better way to signal her intent than to show Mr Hammond the door?