Theresa May called to sack Philip Hammond after he admits swearing and rowing over Conservative manifesto
The Chancellor admitted he has had heated debates with the PM’s chief of staff, Nick Timothy
MINISTERS last night called on Theresa May to sack Philip Hammond after he aired private rows over the Tory manifesto.
The Chancellor infuriated Tory election chiefs by admitting he has “occasionally sworn” during heated debates with the PM’s chief of staff, Nick Timothy, over what the party’s offer to voters should include.
It is the latest in a series of clashes between No10 and No11 since Mr Hammond’s disastrous Budget in March.
Urging the PM to get rid of him if she wins a big majority, one minister told The Sun: “He’s not a team player. The Budget opened up all his failings, he makes a mess of things.
“Colleagues wouldn’t care less, because Philip is very arrogant and hasn’t bothered to make friends”.
Asked if Mr Hammond’s job was safe in front of him, Mrs May replied: “It’s true to say the Chancellor and I and every other member of my team are focused on June 8.
“Our focus is on winning this General Election because it matters for the future of our country.”
Mrs May was pressed to give an endorsement of her Chancellor, and the PM said she was “very happy to do so”.
“As Philip says we have worked together for many years,” she said.
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“Longer than we would care to identify - that’s an age-related comment, nothing else.”
Mr Hammond described the claims as “tittle tattle” and insisted he worked closely with the PM.
During the central London event to highlight Labour’s manifesto flaws, the Chancellor described the team around Mrs May as “extremely strong”.
He said: “We work very closely together. The Prime Minister and I have known each other for many, many years. We work very closely together.
“She’s got an extremely strong team around her. I work very closely with her team. Indeed, some of them are people I’ve known for many, many years.
“We do work very well together as a team. All this media tittle tattle is just that, media tittle tattle.”
After earlier admitting he occasionally swore, Mr Hammond attempted to downplay suggestions of clashes with No 10.
“What I candidly admitted this morning - and my family will confirm this - was that I do occasionally swear,” he said.
“I wasn’t referring to any particular conversation but I do occasionally swear.”