Theresa May tells MPs to stop leaking to press

Theresa May ordered her MPs to stop infighting last night after days of public disputes about Brexit policy and anonymous briefings against ministers, particularly Chancellor Philip Hammond.

Addressing the backbench 1922 Committee at the House of Commons, the Prime Minister warned there had to be "no backbiting, no carping". According to the BBC, she also warned against a leadership bid, saying the choice was "me or Jeremy Corbyn... and nobody wants that".

May is expected to repeat the warning to ministers today, ordering an end to cabinet leaks.

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A Downing Street spokesman told The Guardian: "Cabinet must be able to hold its discussions on government policy in private and the PM... will remind her colleagues of that."

Last weekend saw The Sun accuse Hammond of sexism after reports he had told cabinet that driving a train was so easy "even a woman" could do it, while The Sunday Times the next day cited five ministers saying the Chancellor had said public sector workers were "overpaid".

Yesterday, the Daily Telegraph accused him of "Brexit treachery", claiming he was trying to prevent Britain's departure from the EU, and a story in the Daily Mirror called him "hypocritical" for his property empire.

"You don't have to be Hercule Poirot to work out that the Telegraph story might have something to do with how the first two stories ended up in the press," says the New Statesman's Stephen Bush.

Allies of the Chancellor told the Sun the blame lay squarely at the door of chief Brexiter Michael Gove.

BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg says there are several factors at play, including ministers believing Hammond is trying to slow down Brexit and the Prime Minister's weakened position after the general election.

"With the PM's authority so reduced it's like the teacher has left the classroom and the teenagers have started a big rumble - and they are partly scrapping with each other because several of them fancy taking the controls themselves," she says.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's World at One, Tory veteran Michael Heseltine said the government was "enfeebled" and deeply divided and that the leaks were probably from a leading Brexiter because that was "where the self-interest lies".

However, says Bush, their effects "may, surprisingly enough, be to rejuvenate the PM, at least for a little bit".

He adds that "backbenchers aren't enjoying the public rows at all", leading to "a growing sense among the 2005 and 2010 intakes [many from traditionally Labour held seats] that the Cabinet's big beasts, holed up in Tory fortresses, are risking their seats for short-term advantage".

This could be enough to stave off a backbench rebellion to unseat May - at least for the time being.

Public sector workers overpaid, says Hammond

17 July

Chancellor Philip Hammond has refused to comment on reports in The Sunday Times that he told a cabinet meeting that public sector workers were "overpaid".

Speaking to the BBC's Andrew Marr yesterday, the Chancellor said he would not discuss what was or wasn't said in a cabinet meeting.

"If you want my opinion, some of the noise is generated by people who are not happy with the agenda that I have, over the last few weeks, tried to advance," he said, reports The Independent.

Five separate sources are reported as saying Hammond claimed "generous" taxpayer-funded pensions meant public sector workers were "overpaid", a claim said to have left many "thunderstruck". Both Theresa May and Boris Johnson reprimanded him for his words, said the sources.

A spokesman for the Prime Minister said she would use Tuesday's weekly cabinet meeting to call for an end to the leaks, reports The Guardian.

"Cabinet must be able to hold discussions on government policy in private and the Prime Minister will be reminding her colleagues of that at the cabinet meeting tomorrow," he said.

"She'll just be reminding them of their responsibilities and making the point that ministers across government need to be focused on getting on with delivering for the British public."

Hammond, who supports the government's one per cent cap on public sector pay rises, has argued that public sector pay "raced ahead" of the private sector after the economic crash in 2008, citing "very generous" pension contributions which created a 10 per cent "premium" for them, the BBC reports.

His comments "will fuel public anger that the Tories are out of touch with the public mood and will plunge Tory MPs into despair at the Chancellor's political tin ear", says the Times.

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said Labour would spend £4bn on ending the cap, which he said would be enough to give a real-terms pay increase for public sector workers.

According to The Spectator's Katy Balls, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is the real winner from the leaks and that they have more than Hammond. "The majority of the public won't remember who exactly said public sector workers are 'overpaid' – just that it was someone from the Conservative party," she writes.

Meanwhile, in an article for The Independent entitled "Philip Hammond is the most overpaid public sector worker in the country", Matthew Norman says: "With his track record for incompetence, poor workplace relations and insulting the poorly paid from the aloof perspective of one whose net wealth is estimated at £8-£9m, what is it about Philip Hammond that justifies a salary package worth at least 10 times that of a nurse?"

Boris Johnson joins call to end 1% public sector pay cap

3 July

Rebellion appears to be brewing in the Tory ranks, says the Daily Mail, with MPs urging Prime Minister Theresa May to ease the party's austerity programme following the general election.

In particular, Boris Johnson has joined a list of prominent ministers demanding a rethink over the public sector pay cap, which currently limits annual salary increases for the likes of nurses and firefighters to one per cent.

Chancellor Philip Hammond, known for his aversion to raising public borrowing, has warned that lifting the cap will mean tax rises. However, a Whitehall source said Johnson "strongly believes" the cap can be lifted in a "responsible way" and "without causing fiscal pressures", reports the Daily Telegraph.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove has also spoken against the official government position, telling the Sunday Times ministers need to respect the independent bodies that review public sector pay and accept their findings.

Concerns have also been raised by other frontbenchers, including Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, Education Secretary Justine Greening and Defence Secretary Michael Fallon.

The Telegraph speculates there may be as many as 40 backbenchers ready to rebel over the issue, while the Financial Times says "dozens of Conservative MPs" have now made their unease heard.

A "frustrated" Chancellor warned his cabinet colleagues he was "determined to keep a tight rein on public borrowing and that taxes may have to rise to fund new spending commitments", adds the paper.

Former Tory chancellor Lord Lamont accused ministers of "ganging up" on Hammond and making his position "very awkward".

The issue is adding to accusations of turmoil within the Conservative Party, aided by a series of controversial U-turns last week.

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell tweeted there was a "war between No 10 and the Treasury", while party leader Jeremy Corbyn asked Johnson: