PHILIP Hammond will resign on Wednesday if Boris Johnson becomes PM, he announced today.
The Remain-backing Chancellor will join Justice Secretary David Gauke in quitting before BoJo can sack him.
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He told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show he can’t sign up to Mr Johnson’s Brexit plans and will therefore step down shortly before Theresa May leaves office.
He said: “I’m sure I’m not going to be sacked because I’m going to resign before we get to that point.
“Assuming that Boris Johnson becomes the next Prime Minister, I understand the conditions for serving in his Cabinet will include accepting a No Deal exit on October 31, and it’s not something that I could ever sign up to.
“I intend to resign after Prime Minister’s Questions, before the Prime Minister goes to the Palace.
“All the pollsters, all the bookmakers suggest that Boris Johnson is going to win – the question is by how much.”
I’m not going to be sacked because I’m going to resign before we get to that point
Philip Hammond
Mr Hammond insisted Brexit is the only reason for his resignation, adding: “It’s nothing personal, I’ve always got on very well with Boris and I’ve found him an engaging character.
“Beyond the Brexit question I don’t have many disagreements with him.”
The Chancellor said he would work with other Remainer MPs to block a No Deal Brexit on October 31.
But he also predicted that Boris may be able to force through a tweaked version of Theresa May’s deal thanks to his Brexiteer credentials.
GAUKE-WARD SQUAD
Last night Mr Gauke became the first minister to confirm he can’t serve under BoJo – instead he will hand Mrs May a letter of resignation minutes before she quits herself on Wednesday afternoon.
The Justice Secretary told the Sunday Times: “If the test of loyalty to stay in the Cabinet is a commitment to support No Deal on October 31 – which, to be fair to him, Boris has consistently said – then that’s not something I’m prepared to sign up to.”
He added: “In a period of time where there is no parliamentary majority, there’s political uncertainty and a lack of stability, I worry that the UK then will essentially be supplicants.
“We’ll go through the pain of No Deal and then we will have no choice but to go back to the EU but in a weaker negotiating position. I fear that, frankly, there is a humiliation for us there if we go down that route.”
Among other Cabinet ministers, Rory Stewart has already ruled out serving under BoJo while Greg Clark and David Lidington are also expected to be sacked because of their pro-EU views.
As many as a dozen junior ministers are likely to join them on the back benches rather than sign up to Mr Johnson’s hardline Brexit plans.
Keir Starmer, the Shadow Brexit Secretary, has vowed to work with Tory rebels to ensure a cross-party coalition can block No Deal.
He said: “After they have resigned this week, I will want to work with all those former ministers who, like me, want to ensure Parliament can stop a disastrous and chaotic exit from the EU.”
Last week, the Commons passed a law which would stop the next PM from suspending Parliament in order to force through a No Deal Brexit.
Mr Hammond has long been a hate figure for Tory Brexiteers who accuse him of wrecking the UK’s chances of getting a good deal from the EU.
He is said to have blocked attempts to spend cash on preparing for No Deal, and joined the Commons rebellion last week.
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