Prime Minister’s former aides Hill and Timothy set for £35k payouts

Divisive senior advisers who quit after running Theresa May’s disastrous election campaign are in line for payouts of around £35,000 each.

Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill, whoweretheprimeminister’s joint chiefs of staff, resigned amid intense Tory criticism in the wake of the snap election that cost the Conservatives their Commons majority.

The aides, appointed to the roles by Mrs May when she succeeded David Cameron, were earning a salary of £140,000 as of December last year. Under government rules, they are entitled to severance pay equivalent to three 0 Aides Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill have resigned months’ pay. The part Mr Timothy and Ms Hill played in the general election has been severely criticised by disgruntled Tories.

In a resignation statement on the Conservativehome website, Mr Timothy acknowledged one of his regrets was the way Mrs May’s social care policy, dubbed the “dementia tax” by critics, had been handled.

The Prime Minister was forced to perform an unprecedented U-turn within days of the publication of the Tory manifesto by announcing there would be a cap on social care costs, something that had been absent in the original policy document.

Mr Timothy said: “I take responsibility for my part in this election campaign, which was the oversight of our policy programme.”

Ms Hill, a former Scotsman journalist, was known for her ferocious loyalty to her boss when she worked for Mrs May at the Home Office.