Treasury doom-mongers are ‘talking down’ Brexit, says ex-No10 aide in attack on Philip Hammond
The former Downing Street chief of staff blasted the Chancellor's refusal to embrace the 'positives' of leaving the EU and warned Mr Hammond's behaviour put the UK at risk of landing a bad deal
TREASURY doom-mongers are putting Brexit in peril, Theresa May's former right hand man blasted last night.
The Tory civil war opened on a dangerous new front last night after ex-No10 chief Nick Timothy launched an blistering assault on Philip Hammond.
He claimed the Chancellor's refusal to embrace the "positives of Brexit" would lead to a bad deal with the EU.
But, he also slammed Boris Johnson's stunning 4,200-word Brexit article last weekend, accusing both men of game playing.
Mr Timothy, who left government in the wake of the PM's election humiliation in May, said both men "must understand the surest route to a bad deal, or no deal at all, is to go on behaving as they are.
"They must stop their games now as stakes for Brexit are too high."
He added that the Foreign Secretary was correct to say the Government have been too gloomy about EU divorce so far.
The former Downing Street political adviser told the Telegraph: "The Treasury's reluctance to mention the positives of leaving the EU is why the Government has not talked positively often enough about the opportunities of Brexit."
Mr Timothy said Mr Hammond's behaviour was a risky move for Britain's future as Mr Johnson's calls for a hard Brexit.
The latest intervention is set to overshadow this morning's crunch Cabinet meeting where the PM will brief her team on the keynote Brexit speech in Florence on Friday.