Theresa May is 'alone and friendless' in Downing Street, her former spokesman says

Theresa May is “alone and friendless” in Downing Street while waiting for someone to tell her she must resign, her former spokesman has claimed.

Joey Jones, a former Sky News journalist who became Ms May’s spokesman while she was Home Secretary, was speaking after the Prime Minister’s joint chief of staffs, Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill, were forced to resign following the Tories’ humiliating general election performance.

Mr Timothy and Ms Hill quit on Saturday after reports of heavy pressure from Conservative ministers for Ms May to sack them.

Mr Jones, who stopped working for Ms May when she became Prime Minister last year, said the loss of her two closest advisers was a huge blow.

He told Sky News: “It leaves her in an invidious situation now: she’s alone, she’s friendless, she’s basically a hostage to the Conservative Party within Downing Street, waiting until someone knocks on the door and basically says ‘OK thank you very much Theresa May, you’ve done your time, we’ve now worked out what we want to do with the Conservative Party, we’ve worked out what we want to do with the leadership and with the Brexit negotiation and the government. You can sling your hook.”

Mr Jones said it had been “only a matter of time” before Mr Timothy and Ms Hill were forced to quit over the election result but suggested their dismissal was not designed to be constructive.

“What we’ve seen happen is not a genuine attempt to try to force a new consensual and collegiate dynamic within which Theresa May can lead the government”, he said. “This is nothing less than a ritual humiliation and humbling of an unsuccessful prime minister by a very, very angry Conservative Party.”

Calling Ms May’s failure to secure a parliamentary majority a “self-inflicted wound”, he suggested it would be almost impossible for her to stay on as Prime Minister “in the medium term” but said none of the alternatives were “palatable” for the Conservatives.

“I’m sure those men in grey suits at the apex of the Conservative hierarchy are putting their heads together and trying to stitch up some sort of a way forward”, he said. “It might look to close friends of Theresa May as though she might be able to stay on because it’s the least worst option, but I really don’t think that’s going to be the way in which the senior people in the party end up seeing it.”

The two chiefs of staff were forced out after a number of cabinet ministers reportedly said Ms May must make their dismissal a sign of her willingness to do things differently in the wake of her failure to secure a House of Commons majority. The Prime Minister had been expected to win the election comfortably and began the campaign 20 per cent ahead in the polls but finished eight seats short of a majority.

Her style of leadership, and in particular the conduct of her most senior aides, has long been the subject of criticism from senior cabinet ministers. Allegations that decision-making was overly centralised and that ministers were not consulted on key issues, including the content of the Tories’ manifesto, have been widespread.

Other Conservatives have claimed the two chiefs of staff were aggressive and sometimes hostile behind closed doors. One former May adviser, director of communications Katie Perrior, wrote that they were “rude, childish and abusive”.

Mr Jones said he had never been on the receiving end of any bullying by the duo and said they were “very talented individuals with huge accomplishments”.

Resigning from Downing Street, Mr Timothy said the election result was “a huge disappointment” and took responsibility for his part in the failure, “which was the oversight of our policy programme”.

Referencing the Tories’ controversial plan to force elderly people to pay for their own social care, he said: “In particular, I regret the decision not to include in the manifesto a ceiling as well as a floor in our proposal to help meet the increasing cost of social care.”

Ms Hill said: “It’s been a pleasure to serve in government, and a pleasure to work with such an excellent Prime Minister. I have no doubt at all that Theresa May will continue to serve and work hard as Prime Minister – and do it brilliantly.”