Hammond in bizarre outburst at ‘enemy EU’

PHILIP HAMMOND’S political fightback unravelled last night after he was forced to apologise for describing the European Union as “the enemy” before crucial talks in Brussels next week.

After days of accusations that he was seeking to block Brexit, the Chancellor gave television interviews yesterday in which he sought to reach out to Eurosceptics by criticising the EU. However, within minutes he issued an apology after Downing Street was informed of the “enemy” comment.

Theresa May is facing growing calls to fire her Chancellor amid fears his interventions over Brexit have helped throw the Government into disarray.

Mr Hammond insisted he had no intention of resigning after the Tory grandee Lord Lawson called for his sacking. He described claims that he is pessimistic about Brexit as “bizarre”.

His plans to put a difficult week behind him backfired in a television interview during a visit to Washington, where he is attending a meeting of the International Monetary Fund.

Mr Hammond told Sky News: “I understand that people have very strong views about this but we are all going to the same place. We all have the same agenda, we all signed up to the Prime Minister’s Lancaster House speech, we’re all signed up to the Article 50 letter, we’re all behind the speech that she made in Florence.”

In an apparent attempt to reach out to hardline Brexiteers, he added: “The enemy, the opponents, are out there on the other side of the table. Those are the people that we have to negotiate with to get the very best deal for Britain.”

The Chancellor tried to limit the damage by tweeting: “In an interview today I was making the point that we are united at home. I regret I used a poor choice of words. We will work with our friends and partners in the EU on a mutually beneficial Brexit deal.” He added the hashtag “#noenemieshere”.

It is understood that it was Mr Hammond’s decision to do the interviews. When he made his “enemy” comment his aides informed Downing Street and discussed the plan to tweet an apology, which was approved by No 10.

The Prime Minister’s spokesman, who had briefed journalists that Mrs May still had “full confidence” in her Chancellor, had to repeat the assurance later in the day after Mr Hammond’s blunder. Labour accused him of behaving “like Basil Fawlty on holiday”.

Last night it emerged the Chancellor dined at a Chelsea seafood restaurant with his anti-brexit predecessor George Osborne, days before angering Cabinet colleagues by vowing not to release money to plan for a no-deal Brexit.

In Luxembourg, Jean-claude Juncker, the European Commission president, used a debate at a university to thank Britain for saving Europe during the Second World War but demand the UK should now pay a bigger Brexit divorce bill. He compared Brexit to buying a round of drinks for 28 people in a pub and then discovering one wants to leave without paying.

THERESA MAY spent hundreds of pounds of her own money to keep a silk scarf, a pair of shoes, a necklace and a fountain pen that were sent to her in Downing Street over the past three months.

The Prime Minister published a list of the shoes, scarfs, leather handbags and gloves that she received at 10 Downing Street between April and June this year.

Government ethics rules mean Mrs May and her ministers have to declare gifts received above the value of £140 – and pay for any of the gifts they wish to keep.

Cabinet Office disclosures revealed Mrs May paid £495 for a pair of shoes designed by Charlotte Olympia and £160 for a necklace from Petro Poroshenko, the president of Ukraine.

Mrs May also spent £145 on a silk scarf she was given by Queen Rania of Jordan, and £175 on a fountain pen from the Onoto Pen Company.

But she declined to keep eight other gifts including a leather handbag and gloves from Pittards, silk scarves from Halcyon Days and unspecified “clothing” from the designer Stella Mccartney.

Mrs May also did not pay for a medal or a clock that she was given by the King of Saudi Arabia.

Items she did not pay for are held by the Government.

Boris Johnson received a single gift – a Moser crystal glass bowl from Miloš Zeman, the Czech president – which the Foreign Office said is being held by the department.

Philip Hammond, the Chancellor, David Davis, the Brexit Secretary, and Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary, did not receive any gifts.

Karen Bradley, the Culture Secretary, received the most freebies from the arts and sports industries, including football tickets to events such as the FA Cup and Champion’s League finals.

Mrs Bradley also received six tickets to the Grand National, seats for La Traviata at the Royal Opera House and two tickets for an Ed Sheeran concert.

Matt Hancock, the digital minister, received Glastonbury tickets and seats for an Adele concert, as well as attending parties hosted by the Arts Council and the Serpentine Gallery.