FURIOUS HAMMOND DODGES SACK
Chancellor turns on PM over toxic briefings She’s forced to scrap plan for major reshuffle
PHILIP Hammond clashed with Theresa May yesterday over claims she planned to sack him. It came as the weakened Prime Minister had to abandon a full reshuffle.
Amid fury at her failure to win a majority, the Chancellor was said to have challenged her face-to-face over a series of negative briefings against him during the campaign.
A well-placed source said: ‘He made it pretty awkward for her, telling her, “You’ve been briefing for weeks you are going to sack me”. The PM mumbled that it wasn’t her.’
Mr Hammond also apparently demanded Mrs May remove her joint chief of staff Nick Timothy, with whom he has clashed repeatedly, and appoint a deputy prime minister to cut her reliance on special advisers – a plan she was said to be considering last night.
The Chancellor was sidelined during the Tory campaign and subjected to a drip-drip of briefings suggesting he would be replaced by Home Secretary Amber Rudd or Work and Pensions Secretary Damian Green.
Yesterday Mrs May – whose own job is now under threat – had to abandon the plans, instead confirming he would stay in his post. Miss Rudd, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon and Brexit Secretary David Davis will also keep their jobs.
The Prime Minister will complete a ‘reshuffle’ today. But what had been intended as a sweeping reorganisation will now be minor tinkering. Sackings are highly unlikely given Mrs May’s weakened position.
Downing Street sources last night denied the account of her conversation with Mr Hammond, insisting it had been cordial.
But allies of the Chancellor confirmed he felt shabbily treated by No 10.
One said: ‘It has been shocking and counter-productive. Sidelining Philip made it impossible to get on the front foot on the economy – it gave (John) McDonnell a free pass to set out ridiculous plans that we never properly challenged and we made nothing of our record on the economy.’
Another said: ‘The treatment of Philip has been a disgrace. If you are trashing and hiding your chancellor then you cannot very well attack the other side on the economy. It was a big mistake.’
Mr Hammond angered some in No 10 last year by warning that Brexit was likely to set the economy on a ‘rollercoaster ride’. The election result means he emerges a strengthened figure.
But it could also lead to dangerous friction between No 10 and the Treasury. One minister said: ‘Imagine the tensions around the Cabinet table, being forced to work with someone you know wanted to sack you. He’ll get on with it, but it’s not great.’
Early in the election campaign, when the polls were suggesting a possible Tory landslide, Mrs May and her aides had considered moving Mr Johnson from the Foreign Office – and possibly even sending him to the back- benches. He was also sidelined for much of the early part of the campaign, which focused almost entirely on Mrs May.
But as the campaign soured, Mr Johnson was given an increasingly prominent role, even introducing Mrs May at her final rally. The Foreign Secretary, who has now emerged
as her chief rival, made no comment yesterday apart from a brief message on Twitter, saying: ‘Delighted to be reappointed Foreign Secretary. Lots of great work to do for greatest country on earth.’
Mrs May had planned a major reshuf- fle, with Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, Communities Secretary Sajid Javid and Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom all tipped for the sack. But it is now likely to be a minor affair, focused on replacing the eight ministers kicked out by the voters.