[JD6]

The only credible candidate to replace May, should she step aside over the next few weeks, looks to be Phillip Hammond in my view.

Boris is a clown. Gove is a freak. Leadsom doesn't pass the human test. Fox has a brain the size of a walnut. Hammond is a league above them and sufficiently moderate to move the party back towards the centre ground. Amber Rudd is a second possibility, but she's probably too inexperienced.

Hammond also has an excellent grasp of economic matters, which is where the fight back against Corbyn's fantasy spending plans needs to start.

[Kal101]

You mean the guy off top gear ???

[AndyEssex330d]

Originally Posted by JD6

The only credible candidate to replace May, should she step aside over the next few weeks, looks to be Phillip Hammond in my view.

Boris is a clown. Gove is a freak. Leadsom doesn't pass the human test. Fox has a brain the size of a walnut. Hammond is a league above them and sufficiently moderate to move the party back towards the centre ground. Amber Rudd is a second possibility, but she's probably too inexperienced.

Hammond also has an excellent grasp of economic matters, which is where the fight back against Corbyn's fantasy spending plans needs to start.

I could not agree more, however Boris is brilliant and if he became PM it would underline the British sense of humour so well.

[mikeoz]

He doesn't have much personality...which is a criticism of May..
Has the look and feel of a tax collector. Perfect for his current job.

[robbiep]

Having had business dealings with Phillip Hammond, I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw Westminster Abbey.

A sale of a company, he (and his legal people) walked in on completion day to inform us that they were £250k short, and they expected us to complete the deal on the new basis, they even had new contracts written up with the lesser sum in.
We informed them that they could get stuffed, and walked out. They were informed that the original deal would remain on the table until we'd had lunch and got back to our cars. They had our numbers, so they could get in touch with us during lunch.
Twenty minutes later, they've amazingly managed to get hold of the 'missing' £250k, and it was available to complete the deal.

[Postcab]

Originally Posted by robbiep

Having had business dealings with Phillip Hammond, I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw Westminster Abbey.

A sale of a company, he (and his legal people) walked in on completion day to inform us that they were £250k short, and they expected us to complete the deal on the new basis, they even had new contracts written up with the lesser sum in.
We informed them that they could get stuffed, and walked out. They were informed that the original deal would remain on the table until we'd had lunch and got back to our cars. They had our numbers, so they could get in touch with us during lunch.
Twenty minutes later, they've amazingly managed to get hold of the 'missing' £250k, and it was available to complete the deal.

Trouble is... I wouldn't trust any of them. Especially Boris.

[JD6]

Originally Posted by mikeoz

He doesn't have much personality...which is a criticism of May..
Has the look and feel of a tax collector. Perfect for his current job.

I would rather have a pint with Boris, and Hammond can be a little monotone, but I have never seen him have a bad interview. He appears unflappable, and astute enough to get his point across. His Budget speech was surprisingly funny. Perhaps I'm overestimating his human qualities having watched too many cringeworthy Maybot interviews, but relative to her, he's a barrel of laughs.

With a Labour Party pitching to the hard left, and some insane Marxist crap coming out about requisitioning the houses of the wealthy in Kensington, the obvious place for the Tories to position themselves is right in the middle. It's an open goal, and Hammond fits that centrist position very well.

[JD6]

Originally Posted by robbiep

Having had business dealings with Phillip Hammond, I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw Westminster Abbey.

A sale of a company, he (and his legal people) walked in on completion day to inform us that they were £250k short, and they expected us to complete the deal on the new basis, they even had new contracts written up with the lesser sum in.
We informed them that they could get stuffed, and walked out. They were informed that the original deal would remain on the table until we'd had lunch and got back to our cars. They had our numbers, so they could get in touch with us during lunch.
Twenty minutes later, they've amazingly managed to get hold of the 'missing' £250k, and it was available to complete the deal.

Sounds like a shrewd businessman

We have had some indirect dealings with him over the last couple of years on a financial matter, and he seems quite smart to me, but interesting to hear your experience.

[6times7]

Originally Posted by robbiep

Having had business dealings with Phillip Hammond, I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw Westminster Abbey.

A sale of a company, he (and his legal people) walked in on completion day to inform us that they were £250k short, and they expected us to complete the deal on the new basis, they even had new contracts written up with the lesser sum in.
We informed them that they could get stuffed, and walked out. They were informed that the original deal would remain on the table until we'd had lunch and got back to our cars. They had our numbers, so they could get in touch with us during lunch.
Twenty minutes later, they've amazingly managed to get hold of the 'missing' £250k, and it was available to complete the deal.

You clearly wanted to do the deal, or your numbers should have gone up by £50k for spoiling a very nice lunch whilst waiting for them to come to their senses.

However I agree with your sentiment, that's clearly no way to be carrying on.

[MickyD'bo]

Originally Posted by Kal027

You mean the guy off top gear ???

That would be even more hilarious