Philip Hammond is increasingly seen as a leading figure among Tories determined to stop no-deal

Philip Hammond has told Theresa May that he will fund her legacy plans as a trade-off for her allowing Tory MPs free votes on efforts to stop a no-deal Brexit.

The chancellor has been locked in a row with the prime minister over her attempt to push through £27 billion of funding for education before she steps down. After weeks of talks Mr Hammond is close to signing off an agreement to boost education funding by about £5 billion.

However, he has suggested that his support is conditional on suspending the whip on a cross-party attempt to stop Britain leaving the European Union without a deal on October 31.

Boris Johnson, the frontrunner for the Tory leadership, has faced calls, and repeatedly refused, to rule