Cabinet tensions erupted into the open today as Philip Hammond warned colleagues to 'get on with the job' of Brexit rather than briefing against him.

The Chancellor lashed out at leaks from 'private' meetings as he said senior Tories were out to get him because of his softer stance on cutting ties with Brussels.

The extraordinary public rebuke came after a series of stories emerged seemingly designed to damaged Mr Hammond.

He has been accused of telling fellow ministers that public sector workers are 'overpaid', and also allegedly suggested that driving trains were so easy even women could do it.

The Chancellor lashed out at leaks from 'private' meetings as he appeared on the BBC's Andrew Marr show today

Mr Hammond said senior Tories were out to get him because of his softer stance on cutting ties with Brussels

A clearly furious Mr Hammond flatly denied the sexist jibe over train drivers as he appeared on the BBC's Andrew Marr show this morning - saying he had two daughters and would 'never' say such a thing.

He slammed unions for failing to allow women to become train drivers, saying that was the reason 95 per cent were male.

Mr Hammond did not give such an explicit denial to the claim in the Sunday Times that he had branded public sector workers 'overpaid'.

But he hammered home his point by insisting public sector staff earned on average 10 per cent more than private counterparts.

He suggested the briefing was down to people who were angry about the softer Brexit stance he favoured to 'protect our economy, protect our jobs', as well as the summer 'silly season' of drinks receptions.

Clear divisions have emerged in the Cabinet over whether to ease the 1 per cent cap on public sector pay rises, and Brexit.

The splits have been fueled by jockeying for position amid speculation that Theresa May could be forced out of Downing Street after the disastrous election campaign.

Mr Hammond said today: 'If you want may opinion, some of the noise is generated by people who are not happy with the agenda which I, over the last few weeks, have tried to advance of ensuring that we achieve a Brexit which is focused on protecting our economy, protecting our jobs, and making sure that we have continued rising living standards in the future,' he said.

Mr Hammond said he did not know who had been briefing against him although the Chancellor is widely believed to be at odds with Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.

'They shouldn't have done it frankly because Cabinet meetings are supposed to be a private space in which we have a serious discussion,' he said.

Cabinet splits have been fueled by jockeying for position amid speculation that Theresa May (pictured in the Commons last week) could be forced out of Downing Street after the disastrous election campaign

Tory grandee Iain Duncan Smith demanded that Cabinet ministers briefing against Mr Hammond 'shut up'

David Davis (left) and Boris Johnson are among the favourites to take over if Mrs May is forced out as PM

'I think on many fronts it would be helpful if my colleagues - all of us - focused on the job in hand. This Government is facing a ticking clock over the Brexit negotiations.'

International Trade Secretary Liam Fox and Tory grandee Iain Duncan Smith demanded an end to the damaging infighting today.

Dr Fox told the BBC's Daily Politics: 'I absolutely deplore leaks from the Cabinet, I think my colleagues should be very quiet and stick to their own departmental duties. I think the public expect us to be disciplined and effective and the only people smiling at this are in Brussels and Paris.'

He threw his support behind the Prime Minister, dismissing speculation that there were plots being hatched against her.

'We don't need an interim leader, we don't need an alternative leader. We've got a very good leader in Theresa May,' Dr Fox said.

Mr Duncan Smith said he would 'lay money' that there would not be a leadership election, and he urged other Conservatives to stop speculating.

He told the Marr programme: 'The honest truth about all this...there's a big divide in the Conservative party at the moment on another level and it's between some of them in the Cabinet, it appears and the rest of the backbenchers because it's quite interesting that a lot of the new gen and everything else come in are absolutely seethingly furious about what this is rep at the moment.

Liam Fox, pictured left with fellow Brexiteer Chris Grayling in Downing Street last week, was among the senior Tories calling for an end to infighting today

'Their view is they want Theresa to get through, get through the Brexit stuff she's already said at some point she'll then step down and their view is 'none of the above'. At some point maybe somebody else will step through.'

According to The Sunday Times, Mr Hammond said public sector workers were 'overpaid' when their pensions were taken into account and that train drivers were 'ludicrously overpaid'.

He was pointing out that public sector earnings are still higher than those in the private sector, despite years of pay restraint after the credit crunch sent the economy into a tailspin.

A cabinet source saying: 'Philip used a fairly inflammatory phrase. He said they were 'overpaid'.

'That caused some general astonishment. His overall tone was that we shouldn't give them more cash because they are overpaid.

'Later in the meeting both Boris Johnson and the PM said we should not say public sector workers are overpaid.'