Philip Hammond dodges the sack in reshuffle after weakened Theresa May says he CAN keep his job in wake of shambolic election
CHANCELLOR Phillip Hammond has reportedly clashed with Theresa May over rumours she was set to oust him - but Downing Street confirmed the cabinet top dog would stay put.
Mr Hammond, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, Home Secretary Amber Rudd, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon and Brexit Secretary David Davis are all set to keep their jobs - after a weakened Prime Minister had to abandon a full reshuffle.
But, the Chancellor - despite being assured he was going to keep his job - reportedly took issue with May over rumours he was set to be sacked.
The awkward clash, reported by saw Mr Hammond and Mrs May come face-to-face yesterday.
A 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."
Mrs May is currently attempting to solidify her position, among calls from her own party for her to go following a disastrous election night that saw her lose 12 seats against all expectation.
A senior Tory MP hit out against the PM in a comment to ITV political editor Robert Peston, saying: "We all f***ing hate her."
They added: "But there is nothing we can do. She has totally f***ed us."
Heidi Allen, the Tory MP for South Cambridgshire, also said she expects the PM to go within six months.
Speaking to LBC, she said: "If this were any other election in any other time in our history, then you’d say, oh yes, the prime minister needs to stand down. But this is different, because we’re about to start negotiating, of course, with Brexit.
"We do need a prime minister at this moment.
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"I don’t believe personally that Theresa May will stay as our prime minister indefinitely, in my view it may well be just a period of transition.
"We do need to get some stability."
She added: "It depends on how those conversations go, but certainly I don’t see [May staying as PM] any more than six months."
Backbencher Nigel Evans was also damning in his assessment of the campaign, saying the party "derailed" it by the introduction of radical social care changes.
He said: "We have not shot ourselves in the foot, we have shot ourselves in the head."
And the former Tory Chancellor George Osborne dubbed the result “completely catastrophic for the Tories”.
In a sign of how bad the night went for Mrs May her party lost Canterbury - a seat it has held for a century.
Mrs May said of the result: "My focus last night was on those colleagues who were sadly losing their seats.
"It's important to form a government that can act in the national interest, and as the party who won the most seats and the most votes we're the only party that is in a position to do that.
"I obviously wanted a different result last night and I'm sorry for all those colleagues who lost their seats who didn't deserve to lose and I will reflect on that."
Theresa May's speech on a disastrous night for the Tories
At the election count in her Maidenhead constituency the PM said:
"And if, as the indications have shown and if this is correct that the Conservative Party has won the most seats and probably the most votes, then it will be incumbent on us to ensure we have that period of stability - and that is exactly what we will do."
She continued: "As we ran this campaign, we set out to consider the issues that the key priorities for the British people.
"Getting the Brexit deal right, ensuring that we can identify and do something about the challenges facing our country, doing what is in the national interest.
"That is always what I have tried to do in my time as a Member of Parliament. My resolve to do that is the same this morning as it always has been.
"The country needs a period of stability, and whatever the results are the Con party will ensure that we fulfil our duty in ensuring that stability so that we can all, as one country, go forward together."
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It was also a bad night for Nicola Sturgeon, who conceded her plans for a second vote on independence were "undoubtedly" a factor as the SNP lost 21 seats from their 2015 performance.
The Scottish First Minister paid tribute to senior nationalists who were ousted from the House of Commons, such as Alex Salmond and deputy leader Angus Robertson in a dramatic night.
She pledged to "reflect carefully" on the result, but was defiant in spite of the loss of other high-profile casualties including John Nicolson, Mike Weir and Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh.
She insisted her party had won the election in Scotland - returning more MPs than its rivals combined – but added: "It is an inescapable fact that we also suffered some bitterly disappointing losses last night."
The result capped a remarkable recent turnaround for Mr Corbyn, who less than a year ago faced an overwhelming vote of no confidence by his own MPs.
After being expected to drive his party to electoral oblivion, he cemented his hard-left ideology at the top of Labour, and seems certain to keep his position as leader.
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Boris Johnson (evens)
The Foreign Secretary has long held ambitions for the top job, but was thwarted by his erstwhile running mate Michael Gove last year.
Would relish another opportunity, and instantly became the bookies favourite to take over when the dreadful exit poll came out.
A video of him refusing to say whether he would still support Theresa May this morning will hav done little to quell concerns in No10 he is plotting a coup.
Amber Rudd (4/1)
It nearly all went horribly wrong for the Home Secretary this election after a recount was required for her to keep her Hastings and Rye seat.
She eventually held on with a wafer-thin majority of 346, keeping her in the hunt to turn her impressive campaign performances into a leadership bid.
Stuck with a tough brief and being unable to attack her predecessor (as she happens to be her boss), she has proved a capable performer.
Philip Hammond (14/1)
The Chancellor came under fire earlier this year for his hated “white van tax”, and was forced to U-turn on the National Insurance rise.
That was the first blot on the otherwise immaculate copybook of the man known as “spreadsheet Phil”, who has now held several top Cabinet posts.
Like Mrs May a reluctant Brexiteer, he could take over if a steady hand on the tiller is what’s required.
George Osborne (25/1)
He may no longer be in Parliament but with his coruscating election coverage he is undoubtedly the Tory who had the best campaign.
Taking out revenge on the PM for kicking him out of the Cabinet his Evening Standard front pages have been a constant thorn in her side.
Counting against him is that he would need a friendly Tory to step aside to trigger a by-election so he can re-join the Commons – and his brand is still toxic among certain groups – but he still attracts a large following among Tory MPs.
Earlier, Mr Corbyn bizarrely claimed, despite being more than 50 seats behind the Tories, that Labour had "won" the poll.
He said: "I think it's pretty clear who won this election. We're ready to serve the people who have given their trust to us.
“We are ready to serve this country. That is what fought the election for.
“And this is the programme we put forward with the election. We are offering to put forward the programme on which we fought the election.”
The result left May admitting that she needed the support of her "friends" in the DUP following her disastrous election gamble which left us with a hung Parliament.
This means that with the support of the Northern Irish party, Mrs May will have roughly the same majority in the Commons that she had before she called the snap election.
She went on to confirm that she would work together with the DUP, with whom the party has "enjoyed a strong relationship over many years" - and that she would pull Britain together "to secure a successful Brexit deal that works for everyone".
However, DUP leader Arlene Foster was a little cooler in her language.
She said: "The PM spoke with me this morning and we will enter discussions with Conservatives to explore how it may be possible to bring stability to the UK at a time of great challenge."
And the DUP has extremely conservative views on issues such as gay rights and abortion - which could make implementing her social policies more difficult.
They have also been criticised in the past for their links to members of violent loyalist paramilitary groups like the UVF who murdered Republicans during the Troubles.
Some of the key details from the turbulent election night:
- Hung parliament confirmed with Tories missing out on majority of 326
- Theresa May vows to stay on and form a Government with the help of the 10 DUP MPs
- But she faces mounting pressure from within her party – with the odds slashed on Boris Johnson to be the next PM
- Fears grow Brexit negotiations could be sunk or delayed after the shock result
- Lib Dem leader Tim Farron clings on despite only making modest gains
- Ex -Deputy PM Nick Clegg loses Sheffield Hallam seat but Vince Cable regains Twickenham
- Home Secretary Amber Rudd holds on to Hastings seat by barely 300 votes
- Huge losses for SNP as former chief Alex Salmond and deputy leader Angus Robertson are both beaten by the Tories.
- Labour on march in London beating Tories to Battersea constituency but Tory Zac Goldsmith takes back Richmond with a majority of just 45
- Pound slides two per cent as exit poll predicts hung parliament
- Ukip voters desert party with vote share down by ten per cent
- Growing fears that Mrs May will have to call a second election later this year
- Jeremy Corbyn claims he won the election after making significant gains across the country
- Downing Street has confirmed that the cabinet hitters WILL keep their jobs
- In the last seat to be declared, Labour's Emma Dent Coad seized Kensington from the Tories, giving the Conservatives 318 seats and Jeremy Corbyn's party 262