Hammond’s regret over calling EU ‘the enemy’
PHILIP Hammond’s future as Chancellor looked increasingly fragile last night after he issued a humiliating apology for describing the European Union as “the enemy”.
Mr Hammond, a leading remainer in the Cabinet who has faced a wave of criticism from some Conservatives over his gloomy approach to Brexit, admitted in a television interview that “passions are high” in the party but insisted he was fully signed up to plans for Britain’s exit.
After explaining how united the party was behind Mrs May, he added – in what some saw as the words of a man under pressure: “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.”
But around 30 minutes later Mr Hammond backtracked and talked instead of Britain’s “friends and partners” in the EU. He tweeted: “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 #noenemieshere”.
The Chancellor, who has been accused of trying to sabotage Brexit, made his comments on a trip to Washington while attending the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund.
He insisted that he was “committed” to gaining the best possible outcome for Britain and called on the EU to move forward in the negotiations.
Despite Theresa May giving him a vote of confidence yesterday, there are reports that the two cannot “bear to be in the same room together”.
Calls for Mr Hammond to be sacked began in the summer from Leave Means Leave, a Brexit group backed by more than 50 Tory MPs, after the Chancellor sought to impose a five-year transition period during which time Britain would stay under EU rule and in the single market.
Mr Hammond has come under fire from pro-Brexit Tories furious at what they see as his reluctance to prepare for the prospect that Britain could leave the European Union without a deal if talks in Brussels collapse.
This week Mrs May was forced to slap him down for refusing to spend money in preparation for “no deal” with the bloc.
At Prime Minister’s questions on Wednesday she said money will be spent when needed and that £250million has already been made available for Brexit preparations.
Former chancellor Lord Lawson of Blaby has led the calls for the Prime Minister to sack Mr Hammond, describing his actions as “very close to sabotage”.
Earlier, Downing Street dismissed reports of a deepening rift between the PM and the Chancellor, saying she still had full confidence in him.
Infighting
Labour said Mr Hammond’s remarks yesterday were “foolish” and accused the Chancellor of “acting like Basil Fawlty on holiday”.
Peter Dowd, shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, said: “These are foolish remarks by Philip Hammond, and reveal that he is clearly feeling the pressure from Tory MPs calling for him to be sacked. The tone of this rhetoric will obviously not unblock negotiations or help protect our economic interests.
“The Chancellor should be putting the country before the infighting in his own party when he is representing us overseas, and refrain from acting like Basil Fawlty on holiday.
“It is vital that these negotiations do not lead to a situation where Britain crashes out of the EU without a deal, risking jobs and living standards.”
Meanwhile, Mr Hammond’s former political ally and predecessor as Chancellor, George Osborne, used the London newspaper he edits to compare Brexiteers to “revolutionary Marxists”.