Philip Hammond has warned Conservative leadership candidates they will not be prime minister for long if they pursue a no-deal Brexit, hinting that he and other Tories could be prepared to vote down the government in a confidence motion to prevent that outcome. Hammond said he would urge all his colleagues to 'embrace the concept of compromise' and not to 'box themselves in' by promising to leave on 31 October with or without a deal. Speaking on the BBC’s The Andrew Marr Show, Hammond said embarking on a renegotiation of the backstop before the end of October was a 'fig leaf for a policy of leaving on no-deal terms' because the the EU breaks for the summer and then will not get a new commission until November.



Hammond warns leadership candidates not to ignore parliament on Brexit