WE LIVE in extraordinary political times.
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And the behaviour of Philip Hammond this week has been, extraordinary.
And not just extraordinary but also deeply, appallingly damaging. Speaking at the annual Davos get together of assorted business and political types, the Chancellor of the Exchequer mocked the Prime Minister, attacked his Cabinet colleagues and undermined the Government’s entire Brexit strategy not to mention the referendum result itself.
In his speech on Thursday Mr Hammond treated Mrs May as if she was fit only to be the butt of his jokes: “I’m told a walk in the mountain air was what encouraged the PM to call the general election last year so I’m hoping she stays indoors this time.”
It is a truism that Mrs May is now devoid of authority but, boy, how determined Mr Hammond is to ram that point home.
And with every utterance in which he does that he undermines the Government and thus our negotiations in Brussels.
Mr Hammond also treated the Foreign Secretary with barely concealed contempt: “As we came into Davos there was an avalanche warning yet the Foreign Secretary isn’t even here.”
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So much for the collegiality of Cabinet. But important as it is to note Mr Hammond’s behaviour towards Mrs May and Boris, it is inconsequential in comparison with the meat of his speech on Thursday.
The Chancellor effectively stuck two fingers up to the rest of the Government and, more importantly, to the British people.
In his speech Mr Hammond demanded that Brexit should bring only “very modest” changes to our relationship with the other 27 EU members.
There should, he said, be continued close alignment with the EU’s rules and regulations: “We are taking two completely interconnected and aligned economies with high levels of trade and selectively moving them, hopefully very modestly apart...”
And, he went on: there should continue to be free movement.
Rees-Mogg: Philip Hammond needs to get back in line
As he put it: “We want to maintain the closest possible relationship in people to people exchanges.”
In case anyone was still in any doubt where he stood he also went out of his way to praise the CBI, whose Eurofanatic leader has been Remoaning her way around Europe since the referendum, and who earlier this week said that the UK should stay in a customs union with the EU which would remove one of the key purposes of Brexit.
Be in no doubt what this all means. The Chancellor was telling the British people that, given half a chance, he would bar them from having the Brexit they voted for in 2016 because he does not agree with it.
Instead, he will graciously grant them a “very modest” series of changes. Pardon my language but who the hell does he think he is? Brexit was voted for by more people than have ever voted for anything in British history.
Mr Hammond is a public servant. But he behaves – this is a continuing pattern of his time as Chancellor – as if he is some sort of one-man government who sets his own agenda and ignores everyone else including the 17,410,742 people who voted for Brexit. Not that anyone should be surprised.
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As one Whitehall source was reported as describing him on Thursday: “Hammond is the most tin-eared politician in the UK. He has no following in the Conservative Party and bears the imprint of the last City special interest who sat on him.”
No wonder we then had the spectacle on Thursday night of Mrs May slapping down her own Chancellor with No10 issuing this damning statement: “While we want a deep and special economic partnership with the EU after we leave, these could not be described as very modest changes.”
This cannot go on. We cannot continue to have a Chancellor who is going out of his way to undermine his own government’s policy and who is determined to do all he can to overrule the Brexit vote.
The Brexit result was clear. The vote was to take back control from Brussels, not to create a fudge that allows the likes of Philip Hammond to smile contentedly that they have stitched up a deal that changes almost nothing.
It is little wonder that Labour under Jeremy Corbyn continues to pose a genuine threat.
Phillip Hammond put on the spot about how long Theresa May has
If this is how mainstream politicians treat voters one can understand why so many are toying with the idea of turning to politicians from outside the mainstream.
The small saving grace is that the Chancellor will not get away with it.
Mrs May has made clear that we are leaving the customs union and leaving the single market.
Mr Hammond is fighting a losing battle. But in fighting it he is doing much damage.
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The Chancellor’s arrogance is not only threatening our Brexit deal by undermining our negotiations; it is also making a Corbyn government more likely.
As Tory MP Andrew Percy put it on Thursday night, Mr Hammond should “put a sock in it” and stop “mocking other Cabinet ministers by writing his own Brexit policy”.
His behaviour is unforgiveable but the likelihood is that he will do the same again because Mr Hammond is consumed with self-regard.
Weak as Mrs May be, should the Chancellor repeat his behaviour she should make sure it is his last act in government.
https://www.express.co.uk/comment/expresscomment/910751/philip-hammond-UK-chancellor-undermines-prime-minister-theresa-may
