Some leading members of the ruling Conservative Party in Britain want Theresa May removed as Prime Minister, the Sunday Times reports.
According to the report, the cabinet members are tipping finance minister Philip Hammond to replace her and steer the country through the Brexit process.
May’s failure to win a parliamentary majority in a June 8 election has propelled Hammond back into the spotlight after being sidelined for months by her during the election campaign.
Citing some members of May’s top team, the Sunday Times said Hammond should be appointed as a caretaker prime minister to see the country through until 2019 when it officially leaves the European Union.
Brexit minister David Davis should be named as his deputy, the newspaper quoted sources as saying.
“I think Philip is the only plausible candidate for a couple of years, with DD (David Davis) running Brexit,” the paper quoted a serving minister as saying.
“He is a more credible caretaker than the current prime minister. The PM’s brand is so damaged it is painful. The calculation that people are beginning to make is that she is so inadequate we can’t wait two years with her in place”, it added.
A former cabinet colleague was quoted by the paper as saying that Hammond believed he could do the job.
It added that not all cabinet members were in agreement however, with some backing Davis and others favoring Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.
