TV presenter Richard Madeley taunts Philip Hammond as his former schoolmate is made Chancellor
New Chancellor defended himself claiming goths ‘hadn't even been invented in those days’
TV presenter Richard Madeley has teased his old classmate and new Chancellor Philip Hammond for being a "goth" at school.
The television personality attended Shenfield High School in Essex with Mr Hammond during the 1970s, and remembers him very differently to his current dry and dour image.
Mr Madeley, one half of TV duo Richard and Judy, said he was a "goth", adding: “Used to arrive in class in leather trench-coat with The Guardian under his arm.”
But appearing on ITV's Good Morning Britain, Mr Hammond laughed off the comments, and called the rumours "shocking, shocking".
He defended himself by claiming goths "hadn't even been invented in those days".
Appearing on the breakfast show the new man in No11 was asked by Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid "did you worship Marilyn Manson in your school days?".
They showed a picture of a young Mr Hammond wearing black glasses, sporting a wave of dark hair and his tie scruffily undone.
Mr Morgan then said there was an "uncanny parallel" between George Osborne’s successor and Marilyn Manson.
"I haven't the benefit of seeing the picture that you're showing your viewers," said the new Chancellor.
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And talking on Mr Madeley’s assertions, he said: "After making these shocking allegations, Richard Madeley did contact me to concede that actually on reflection, it probably was the Financial Times, not The Guardian.";
Grilled about this bit of history the Tory replied: “I could tell you lots of things about Richard Madeley!"
But he jokingly agreed with the presenter when he suggested carrying a copy of The Guardian would be "career-wrecking" for a Conservative chancellor.
He spent his first morning in the Treasury saying he will not put out an emergency Budget, and is meeting the Bank of England governor Mark Carney.