Osborne’s newspaper moves to cool row over his freezer comments

GEORGE OSBORNE’S newspaper praised Theresa May and acknowledged that she had faced “harsh words” from critics yesterday – days after it was reported the former chancellor wanted the Prime Minister “chopped up” in his freezer.

An editorial in the

said the “poisonous atmosphere” around her administration had changed and added that “strong differences of opinion do not need intemperate language, even when said in jest”.

Told about his comments during her visit to the United Nations in New York, Mrs May said she was not aware of them but would accept any apology being offered.

She told ITV News: “I, of course, accept an apology if that’s been given. I must confess I haven’t actually read it myself.

“I don’t pay attention to these things. What matters is that I’m getting on with the job and focusing on what the British people want.”

Mr Osborne, who took over the editorship of the newspaper after being sacked from the Cabinet when Mrs May entered Number 10, has been a robust critic of the Prime Minister, describing her as a “dead woman walking” after her general election gamble backfired.

But he faced a backlash after the freezer comments emerged in a profile piece in magazine.

The profile said: “According to one staffer at the newspaper, Osborne has told more than one person that he will not rest until she ‘is chopped up in bags in my freezer’.” The emollient

column praised the Prime Minister’s efforts to tackle modern slavery as she led international efforts to address the issue at the United Nations in New York.