Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill resign as Theresa May's chiefs of staff
2 min read
Theresa May's two key advisers have resigned after the Conservatives lost their majority in Thursday’s general election.
Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill have been facing calls to quit amid widespread criticism of the Tory campaign.
In a piece for ConservativeHome, Mr Timothy revealed he had informed the Prime Minister of his decision yesterday.
Describing the election outcome – which saw the Tories increase their vote share but lose seats – as a “huge disappointment”, Mr Timothy said he had failed to pick up on the “unexpected surge” in support for Labour.
He insisted Mrs May was the right leader to take the party and Conservatives forward, however.
“Britain is a divided country: many are tired of austerity, many remain frustrated or angry about Brexit, and many younger people feel they lack the opportunities enjoyed by their parents’ generation,” he wrote.
“Ironically, the Prime Minister is the one political leader who understands this division, and who has been working to address it since she became Prime Minister last July. The Conservative election campaign, however, failed to get this and Theresa’s positive plan for the future across.”
He said he was taking responsibility for the poorly-received manifesto – but denied that the shake-up of social care funding, which was branded a “dementia tax” by critics, had been his “personal pet project”.
“I take responsibility for the content of the whole manifesto, which I continue to believe is an honest and strong programme for government.”
And he said sorry to those Conservatives who lost their seats:
“I want to place on record my sorrow for the Conservative Members of Parliament who lost their seats, several of whom are close friends.”
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