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Theresa May

LONDON. – Theresa May has upbraided her cabinet for their anonymous leaking and briefing of last week’s private meeting, accusing the culprits of failing to take their responsibilities seriously.

The prime minister read the riot act to her senior ministers after two leaks appeared aimed at discrediting Philip Hammond, the chancellor.

Several cabinet sources revealed to newspapers that he suggested driving trains was easy enough to be done by women and that he described public sector workers as overpaid.

May opened yesterday morning’s regular cabinet meeting by telling her colleagues: “There is a need to show strength and unity as a country and that starts around the cabinet table.”

On Monday night, she had also warned MPs there should be “no carping, no back-biting” at a reception for the 1922 Committee of backbenchers, but her attempt to reassert authority is unlikely to stop the circulation of a letter of no confidence in her leadership signed by a small band of her colleagues.

May’s effort to regain control was supported by Amber Rudd, the home secretary, who told Conservative MPs to get on with their jobs as the prime minister would be staying in place.

Speaking yesterday morning, Rudd said: “I wholly support the prime minister in her views that we must all – as ministers and, indeed, backbenchers – get on with the job in hand. There is an important job of government to be done and . . . (ministers) are honoured to have their roles and I know they should be getting on, as some of them do, and delivering on what they have been asked to do.”

Asked if the prime minister should sack those found to be briefing against her and each other, Rudd insisted the cabinet was working well together.

She told Sky News: “What happens outside cabinet, with occasional briefings, as we saw over the weekend, is something else.” Despite the efforts to end the feuding, some MPs have suggested the manoeuvres against May will continue after parliament’s summer break.

A pro-Brexit MP claimed he was asked to sign a letter of no confidence in May but had refused to so far because of doubts over who would take over – including concerns that a pro-EU leader could be installed.

“If there was someone credible to take over I’d probably back them. But I’m not convinced that where we are now is tenable. There is not a winning situation at the moment,” the MP said, adding that the Brexit secretary, David Davis, would be the preferred choice at the moment.

As speculation over possible successors intensified, David Cameron urged the Tories on Monday not to “slip backwards” and to offer a more inspiring vision for the country. – The Guardian.