Theresa May's top advisers have resigned after election upset

May's joint chiefs of staff Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill have resigned amid criticism over how the PM's campaign was run.
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Theresa May's joint chiefs of staff Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill have resigned after the prime minister failed to win a majority in Thursday's general election.

May was under huge pressure to sack the pair on Saturday. There were reports that if they did not go, the prime minister would face a leadership challenge.

But by lunchtime, both announced they had resigned. In a blog for Conservative Home, Timothy said the Conservative election campaign "failed" to get May's "positive plan for the future" across to voters. "It also failed to notice the surge in Labour support," he added.

Timothy was the architect of the disastrous social care plan in May's manifesto, according to reports. She was forced to backtrack on the vision, which included the so-called dementia tax, just days after it was published. Timothy reflected on this in his blog:

"I take responsibility for my part in this election campaign, which was the oversight of our policy programme. In particular, I regret the decision not to include in the manifesto a ceiling as well as a floor in our proposal to help meet the increasing cost of social care.

"But I would like to make clear that the bizarre media reports about my own role in the policy’s inclusion are wrong: It had been the subject of many months of work within Whitehall, and it was not my personal pet project."

Hill's resignation was confirmed by a Tory spokesperson. In a statement on Conservative Home, she later added: "It’s been a pleasure to serve in government, and a pleasure to work with such an excellent prime minister. I have no doubt at all that Theresa May will continue to serve and work hard as prime minister – and do it brilliantly."

She and Timothy were May's closest confidants at 10 Downing Street and political commentators have questioned how she will cope without them by her side. But it appears that May had little choice but to accept their resignation.

Cabinet ministers and a "string of Conservative MPs" told The Guardian that the joint chiefs of staff are "monsters who propped her up and sunk our party."

BBC assistant political editor Norman Smith tweeted on Saturday that senior Tories issued an ultimatum over Timothy and Hill: Sack them or there will be a leadership challenge.

Others were honest about the advisers' record since May became PM last year. Katie Perrior, the director of communications at Downing Street between July 2016 and April 2017, said she was "staggered at the disrespect they showed on a daily basis" towards ministers and others in government.

In an article for The Times, she wrote:

"The chiefs of staff were great street fighters but poor political leaders. Great leaders lead by bringing people with them, not alienating them before having even digested breakfast. What I could never work out was whether Mrs May condoned their behaviour and turned a blind eye or didn’t understand how destructive they both were."

Australian strategist Sir Lynton Crosby was also under fire for overseeing May's election campaign. He set the tone of her bid to win a larger majority, including what became known as "Mayism" — a relentless focus on the prime minister rather than the Conservative Party.

The resignations came as May finalises her cabinet.

Boris Johnson, Philip Hammond, and Amber Rudd will remain as foreign secretary, chancellor, and home secretary respectively. David Davis will also stay on as Brexit secretary and Sir Michael Fallon will keep his role as defence secretary. The PM was expected to confirm other roles, such as health secretary, on Saturday.

May is also focused on securing a deal with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). The Tories needed 326 seats to win but fell short by eight. The DUP won 10. May will need the Northern Irish MPs' votes to force policy through parliament.

Tory Chief Whip Gavin Williamson was sent to Belfast on Saturday to negotiate a deal, according to ITV political editor Robert Peston. He said ministers would prefer a coalition deal, rather than a less formal vote-based one, under which the DUP would agree to support May on key policy issues.

"A coalition would be much better than a looser alliance", one senior minister told Peston. "We don't want the DUP demanding money for this or that project they fancy every time we need them to support us in a vote. That would be deeply unstable".

The Telegraph reported that the Tories and DUP will agree a written "programme for government" over the coming days. The document will set out the policies they both agree on. It will form the basis of a series of new laws to be announced in the Queen’s Speech on 19 June.

Speaking about the partnership on Friday, May said: "We will continue to work with our friends and allies in the Democratic Unionist Party in particular.

"Our two parties have enjoyed a strong relationship over many years, and this gives me the confidence to believe that we will be able to work together in the interests of the whole United Kingdom."

The "coalition of crackpots"

There are significant concerns about the relationship, however. Left-wing newspaper The Daily Mirror dubbed it the "coalition of crackpots," pointing to the DUP's hardline views. The party, for example, does not believe in gay marriage, is anti-abortion, and is sceptical about climate change.

More than half a million people have signed a petition opposing May's plans to form a government with DUP support. The change.org petition

Ruth Davidson, the gay Scottish Conservative leader, tweeted a link on Friday to a speech she gave on the importance of equal marriage. She was given assurances by May, however, that the DUP partnership will not impact the Tory support of LGBTI rights.

"I was fairly straightforward with her and I told her that there were a number of things that count to me more than party. One of them is country, one of the others is LGBTI rights," Davidson told the BBC. "It's an issue that's very close to my heart and one that I wanted categoric assurance from the prime minister on, and I received."

Separately, The Daily Telegraph reported on Saturday that Davidson's aides "are working on a deal that would see the Scottish party break away to form a separate organisation." But she branded the story "b****cks" on Twitter. "Folk might remember I fought a leadership campaign on the other side of that particular argument," she said.

Germanys message over Brexit talks

Looming over May is the June 19 date when Brexit talks are due to start. The prime minister is confident that talks can begin as planned— and this was echoed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

"I assume that Britain, from what I heard from the Prime Minister today, wants to stick to its negotiating plan," Merkel said during a visit to Mexico City, Mexico.

"We want to negotiate quickly, we want to stick to the time plan, and so at this point I don't think there is anything to suggest these negotiations cannot start as was agreed."

Theresa May's top advisers have resigned after election upset

The "coalition of crackpots"

Germanys message over Brexit talks

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