Philip Hammond ‘lined up by Tory MPs to take over as PM until the end of Brexit talks in 2019’
The Chancellor is reportedly set to team up with David Davis to keep Boris Johnson out of power
PHILIP HAMMOND is being lined up to take over from Theresa May as Prime Minister, it emerged today.
The Chancellor is seen as a safe pair of hands who could guide the country through Brexit as a caretaker PM, before stepping down in 2019.
Under the proposed plot, he would team up with David Davis in a bid to reassure Tory MPs he can be trusted on the EU.
Mrs May has been left vulnerable by her election flop, with senior Conservatives jostling behind the scenes to replace her.
Boris Johnson and Mr Davis are seen as frontrunners - but now allies of Mr Hammond have put him forward as the ideal replacement.
Dubbed "Spreadsheet Phil", the Chancellor is known for his serious demeanour and obsession with detail.
Since the election, he has led efforts to deliver a softer Brexit, arguing that the interests of business must come before the desire to slash immigration.
Now sources that Mr Hammond should replace Mrs May over the summer - but only on a short-term basis.
The idea is that he would form a united front with Mr Davis, the Brexit Secretary, so that Eurosceptic backbenchers would not worry about his commitment to quitting the EU.
One minister told the newspaper: "I think Philip is the only plausible candidate for a couple of years, with DD running Brexit.
"He is a more credible caretaker than the current Prime Minister. The PM’s brand is so damaged it is painful."
The Chancellor is said to have told a colleague that "if Theresa May could be prime minister, so could he".
It was suggested that Mr Hammond may announce that he would serve just two years - stepping down once the Brexit process is complete in 2019.
Alternatively, he could call an election at that point to allow the public to give their verdict on the Brexit deal.
The Mail on Sunday reported that Mr Hammond and Mr Davis had attracted the support of many MPs who are keen to keep Boris out of power.
Top backbencher Sir Desmond Swayne, an ally of David Cameron, apparently that he "could not think of a better leader" than Mr Davis.
Support for Mr Hammond came from centrist ex-minister Stephen Crabb, who today praised his "calm, level-headed approach" to Brexit.
Despite pledging to stand behind Mrs May, he wrote: "The Chancellor said that no one voted in the referendum to become poorer, and he is right."
Although Mr Johnson is clearly the frontrunner for the leadership if the PM quits, his enemies believe he could be beaten by a concerted effort similar to the movement which kept him from Downing Street last year.
Mr Davis today denied talks of a leadership contest, saying it would be "catastrophic" for the Tories to turn on each other during Brexit negotiations.
He said: "Stop being so self-indulgent, get on with the day job."
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Ken Clarke agreed, telling Sky News: "If the sillier people in the Conservative party now decide that the best thing to do is to start arguing about the leadership, then you just make a very difficult decision more absurd."
And backbencher Jacob Rees-Mogg described leadership speculation as "folderol" - an archaic term meaning "nonsense".
Allies of Mrs May are reportedly planning to give MPs a 12-week summer holiday to limit the time they have to plot against her.
Meanwhile, Tory donors have called for the leadership to skip a generation, allowing figures such as Sajid Javid and Priti Patel to run as the PM's replacement.
And Cabinet minister Liam Fox warned against "navel-gazing" within the Tory party, calling for MPs to support Mrs May rather than plotting to replace her.