Theresa May's allies today hit back against charges of disloyalty by insisting her “leadership” speech at the weekend was cleared in advance by David Cameron.
Supporters of the Home Secretary were outraged at what they saw as a hostile leak from yesterday’s political Cabinet that she was slapped down by Michael Gove.
The in-fighting broke into the open as the Prime Minister and his new election guru Lynton Crosby issued a demand for party unity at a meeting with backbenchers last night.
Some of the MPs who heard them hit back that they wanted to see more Cabinet discipline instead. Education Secretary Mr Gove appeared to target Mrs May during the weekly political Cabinet when he accused colleagues of “disloyalty” by setting out their stalls as future leaders.
Mrs May made headlines at the weekend with a sweeping speech mapping out ideas for a post-Coalition Tory government. But an ally of the Home Secretary said: “David Cameron cleared Theresa’s speech.”
Tory MPs were divided over her position. Philip Davies said: “I think most people have spotted that she has been jockeying for a long time for a potential leadership bid after the next election. Most of us think leadership bids should be left until there’s a vacancy.
“I can quite understand Michael Gove’s position. There does seem to have been an excessive amount of jockeying going on, to be frank.” Another backbencher insisted: “There’s nothing disloyal about a minister setting out ideas for the future.”
Mr Gove reportedly told a political Cabinet session he had been “shocked to see some around the table had been participating in this leadership speculation” — but did not name anyone.
The Prime Minister and Mr Crosby, the Australian who masterminded Boris Johnson victories, reminded backbenchers they were “participants not commentators” and warned them to be careful what they post on Twitter.
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MP Sarah Wollaston retorted that Mr Cameron’s demand for discipline was leaked to the media beforehand and asked if the rules applied to No 10. But Kris Hopkins mocked “self-indulgent buffoons” touting themselves as alternative leaders.
Ministerial relations were strained further by public wrangling over the June 26 spending review by Defence Secretary Philip Hammond and others.
Mrs May’s speech on Sunday to a Conservative Home conference ranged well away from her home affairs brief, suggesting schools and other public services could chase profits and proposing new tax cuts for businesses.
