Why is Philip Hammond trying to destabilise his government’s Brexit talks?

You can see why Theresa May locked her Chancellor up in a cupboard during the general election campaign. Not only was his credibility shot in his bungled Budget, where he seemed not to realise that his plan to raise National Insurance violated the manifesto upon which he was elected, but he’s now still seeking to undermine his colleagues on Brexit.

The UK position is clear: yes, we’d like a good deal with the EU but if one is not forthcoming then we’d walk away and use the default World Trade Organisation rules. Hardly a leap into the unknown; the WTO rules govern the UK trade with our largest single partner, the United States. And the guidelines have already been guaranteed. I won’t go into the details: they’re explained clearly by Michael Burrage in this Civitas pamphlet (pdf) entitled It’s Quite Okay to Walk Away.

“Because we are leaving the EU, we will be leaving the single market and the customs union” confirms @PhilipHammondUK #marr pic.