Philip Hammond and Theresa May have a 'good working relationship'
A newspaper report suggested the pair couldn't stand being in the same room - but a Treasury staffer tells Sky News this isn't so.
Monday 16 October 2017 15:37, UK
One of Philip Hammond's lieutenants has dismissed claims the Chancellor's relations with Theresa May are at a low point.
Kwasi Kwarteng, Mr Hammond's parliamentary private secretary, told Sky News' All Out Politics show the pair have a "good working relationship".
It comes after a story in The Sun last week in which a Cabinet source claimed relations were so bad between the PM and Mr Hammond that they could not bear to be in a room alone together.
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Mr Kwarteng said: "They have known each other for a very long time. I think it's very difficult - speaking as a layman - for people right at the top of British politics.
"They are under massive pressure. But I think it's a good working relationship, from what I've seen."
It follows a series of stories and opinion pieces in national newspapers over the last week that have put Mr Hammond's position under pressure.
Several have claimed many pro-Brexit backbench MPs want him sacked over his unwillingness to prepare government departments for the prospect of the UK failing to reach a deal with the EU.
Former Conservative Chancellor Lord Lawson told Sky News last week that Mrs May should remove Mr Hammond from his post when she carries out her next reshuffle.
He said: "He's pursuing a line which is not in the public interest, not in the country's interest and is not responsible."
Mr Hammond faced an additional call for him to get "the chop" in an opinion piece in today's The Sun.
The Chancellor also came under pressure when he described Brussels as "the enemy" in a Sky News interview last week - something he later described as "a poor choice of words".
Mr Hammond is regarded as one of the most anti-hard Brexit Cabinet members at a time when the pace of negotiations with the EU has left some to say that a no-deal scenario is becoming increasingly likely.