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.

In a forthright interview, the chancellor reminded the hardline Brexit candidates – Boris Johnson, Dominic Raab and Esther McVey – that parliament was “vehemently opposed” to leaving the EU without a deal.

Hammond said he would urge all his colleagues to “embrace the concept of compromise” and warned them 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 “figleaf 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.

Quick guide Tory leadership contenders Show Hide Jeremy Hunt His style is notably technocratic, with few rhetorical flourishes and an emphasis on his consensual approach and long record as a minister, notably during more than five years as health secretary, a traditional graveyard of ministerial careers. Hunt’s attempts to talk up a backstory as an 'underestimated' entrepreneur can fall flat given he is also the son of an admiral and was head boy at Charterhouse. Overall, Hunt’s approach can seem uninspiring and hard to pin down in terms of core beliefs, hence the 'Theresa in trousers' nickname among some Tory MPs – one that is more catchy than accurate (since May herself often wears trousers). In the final round of MP voting Hunt edged out Michael Gove, 77 votes to 75. Boris Johnson Johnson’s progress to Downing Street appeared unstoppable even before an overwhelming victory in the first round of voting among MPs. Most of his colleagues believe it is now all but inevitable that he will be Britain’s next prime minister. His well-disciplined campaign team will continue with their strategy of subjecting him to minimal media exposure, though once the field is narrowed down to two, the final pair will appear in more than a dozen head-to-head hustings for Tory members. The team’s main aim is simply to keep heads down and avoid Johnson creating headlines for the wrong reasons. It may not have worked. Johnson came first in the final round of MP voting with 160 votes.



“That policy has a major flaw in it, and that is that parliament has voted very clearly to oppose a no-deal Brexit. A prime minister who ignores parliament cannot survive very long,” he said.

Asked repeatedly whether he would vote against a prime minister pursuing a no-deal policy, Hammond refused to rule it out and said there were many of his Conservative colleagues in the same position.

“This is a very difficult situation. It would not just challenge not just me, but many of our colleagues, and I hope we never get to that position,” he said, noting that he had never previously voted against his government in 22 years in parliament.

Refusing to support a Conservative prime minister in a confidence motion would mean that Tory MPs would not be able to keep the whip.

The chancellor noted it would be impossible to govern if a prime minister pushed through a no-deal Brexit without the permission of parliament.

Quick guide Tory tribes Show Hide The ERG hardcore The most resistant segment of the European Research Group of Eurosceptic Tory MPs comprises 28 pro-Brexit backbenchers who have refused to be wooed by Theresa May and opposed her third attempt to pass her Brexit deal. Steve Baker, Andrew Bridgen and Mark Francois are the most vocal members. Jacob Rees-Mogg remains close to the group despite backing May’s deal. Another 100 MPs have been associated with the ERG, including the potential Tory leadership candidates Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and Andrea Leadsom. Blue-collar Conservatives Esther McVey, a Brexiter who reluctantly voted for Theresa May’s deal, is the latest Tory to breathe life into the idea of blue-collar conservatism, previously championed by Robert Halfon, the chair of the education select committee. McVey launched her version on 20 May at an event widely seen as the unofficial start of her leadership bid. She and fellow MPs including Eddie Hughes, Ben Bradley and Scott Mann plan to tour UK pubs to spread their message. McVey’s supporters claim to have up to 40 MPs signed up to the group; other Brexiters claim the figure is less than 20. One Nation Group Amber Rudd has spearheaded this pro-remain, anti-no-deal group of MPs, which includes the international development secretary, Rory Stewart, and the former cabinet ministers Nicky Morgan and Damian Green. The group claims to have more than 60 MPs onboard and plans to stand against “narrow nationalism” and division and in favour of internationalism, environmental policies and protecting consumers from corporations and an “over-mighty state”.



Scottish Tories Led by the hugely popular Ruth Davidson, the leader of the Scottish Tories in Holyrood, and the Scottish secretary, David Mundell, this group’s overtly remain tendencies put them at odds with the likes of the ERG. Among the 13 Scottish Tory MPs and 31 MSPs there is controversy over Boris Johnson, who is a highly divisive figure in Scotland.

Modernists A loose term nowadays, since the former Cameroons are largely nowhere to be seen. Those flying the flag for a more socially progressive, relatable kind of conservatism include the former education secretary Justine Greening and the health secretary, Matt Hancock, who even set up his own app in an attempt to keep up with the digital age. Both Greening and Hancock want to move on from Brexit so that other issues can be dealt with, but they are split on what that should look like. Greening has promoted a second referendum, while Hancock is urging all Brexiters to get behind May’s deal.



“It would be very difficult for a prime minister who adopted no-deal as a policy to retain the confidence of the House of Commons,” he said.

In a further critique of some of the leadership candidates, he said: “Some people on the hard Brexit wing of my party have consistently failed to understand how the EU approach this problem… I hear a lot of my colleagues talking about wanting to do a deal, but many of them want to deal a deal entirely on their terms. They are simply proposing to go to Brussels and tell them once again what they don’t like about the withdrawal agreement.”

Hammond’s comments increase the chances that a hard Brexit candidate could decide to go for a general election if they wanted to leave the EU without a deal.

The Conservatives have no majority in parliament, and will have only a very slim working majority if they manage to renegotiate a confidence and supply agreement with the Democratic Unionist party.