Hammond: I’ll quit rather than support Johnson’s no-deal exit

British Chancellor Philip Hammond says he will quit rather than be sacked by the new prime minister.

‘I’m sure I’m not going to be sacked because I’m going to resign’: Philip Hammond tells the BBC. Picture: AFP

British Chancellor of the Excheq­uer Philip Hammond has warned Boris Johnson it will be impossible to strike a new Brexit deal by the end of October, as he announced that he would resign rather than be sacked by the new prime minister.

The Chancellor became the second cabinet minister to announc­e he would quit the govern­ment if Mr Johnson wins the ballot, saying he intended to step down tomorrow afternoon (Thursday AEST), before Theresa May hands in her resignation, and would campaign against Mr Johnson’s Brexit plans from the backbenches.

He also refused again to rule out voting against his own government in a confidence motion if that was the only way to prevent a no-deal departure from the EU against the will of parliament.

Hours later, prominent Johnson critic and minister Sir Alan Duncan resigned from the Foreign Office, warning Brexit had cast a “dark cloud” over Britain.

In his resignation letter, Sir Alan said: “It is tragic that just when we could have been the dominant intellectual and political force throughout Europe, and ­beyond, we have had to spend every day working beneath the dark cloud of Brexit.”

His resignation will not be the last, with Mr Hammond indicated that he would announc­e his ­resignation, saying he had no intent­ion of allowing Mr Johnson to sack him. “I’m sure I’m not going to be sacked because I’m going to resign before we get to that point,” he told the BBC.

“Assuming that Boris Johnson becomes the next prime minister, I understand that his conditions for serving in his government would include accepting a no-deal exit on the 31st of October, and it’s not something that I could ever sign up to.”

Mr Hammond has privately made clear that he intends to join forces with other cabinet ministers likely to be sacked by Mr Johnson and make common cause with senior Conservative MPs such as Oliver Letwin, who have been working to frustrate any attempt to leave the EU without a deal.

Justice Secretary David Gauke said on Sunday that he would also resign if Mr Johnson was elect­ed, warning that pursuing a no-deal Brexit would bring national ­“humiliation”.

Other ministers expected to ­resign or be sacked include David Lidington, Mrs May’s de facto deputy; Business Secretary Greg Clark; and International Devel­opment Secretary Rory Stewart.

The Times

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