Murray wilts in French Open semi-final
Andy Murray was knocked out of the French Open in the semi-finals after losing in five sets to Stan Wawrinka. Murray was within four points of victory in the fourth set and he admitted that “physically I didn’t feel my best at the end”. Wawrinka will play Rafael Nadal in the final.
DOWNING Street will descend into “open warfare” this weekend amid calls from Cabinet ministers for Theresa May’s closest aides to stand down.
A Cabinet source said that the Prime Minister must clear out the “cabal at the top” which allowed “a terrorist sympathiser to get within an inch of Downing Street”.
Furious Tory MPS openly called for Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill, Mrs May’s closest advisers, to be sacked over the way they ran her campaign.
One source said: “They are destroying our party”. They said Mrs May made a “fundamental strategic error” with her controversial plans to overhaul social care, which became known as a “dementia tax”. Mrs May yesterday indicated that Ms Hill and Mr Timothy, her joint chiefs of staff, could lose their roles.
She said: “Obviously there will be further ministerial posts and other personnel issues over other days.” Nigel Evans, secretary of the 1922 committee of back-bench Tory MPS, said: “It was an amazing own goal. We didn’t shoot ourselves in the foot, we shot ourselves in the head. Instead of talking about the things we thought we were going to be talking about – Brexit and the strong economy – we have ended up talking about social care, winter fuel payments, taking lunches off children and fox hunting.”
Dr Sarah Wollaston, a Tory MP, said on Twitter: “I cannot see how the inner circle of special advisers can continue in post. [It] needs to be far more inclusive in future.”
One Cabinet source told The Daily Telegraph: “A cabal at the top of the Tory Party has allowed a terrorist sympathiser to get within an inch of Downing Street. Things must change. The campaign has been a total disaster and it has come from the top. Fiona and Nick must go.”
Another Cabinet minister said: “Politicians cannot choose which issues voters will go the polls on. A one-issue election is called a referendum. We have to be able to deal with the economic and fiscal policy issues too.”