Liam Fox branded ‘nutty and obsessive’ in blistering escalation of Whitehall turf war with Boris Johnson over Brexit
After a leaked letter revealed showdown between the pair sources at the Foreign Office let rip
TRADE Secretary Liam Fox was branded “nutty and obsessive” by government insiders in a blistering escalation in his Whitehall turf war with Boris Johnson over Brexit.
After a leaked letter revealed a showdown between the pair over control of EU policy, sources at the Foreign Office let rip at Mr Fox, saying: “There’s something strange about him.”
This afternoon Number 10 reiterated their warnings that Theresa May was “unimpressed” with the internal squabbling, and this latest development is likely to infuriate the holidaying PM.
But the Foreign Secretary has distanced himself from the comments, telling The Sun: “We are ploughing ahead, working together to deliver a successful Brexit as quickly as possible.
BoJo added: “The PM is clear — she expects us to knuckle down and get on with it and that is exactly what I and my colleagues intend to do”.
A spokesman for Mr Fox refused to comment on the row, though friends said the Trade Secretary was “naturally disappointed” by the idea there was tension.
In a toxic media briefing that appeared in Tuesday’s Times newspaper, a Foreign Office insider pointed to Liam Fox’s support for right-wing American politics, claiming: “He’s Donald Rumsfeld on steroids”.
A “Foreign Office source” also told the media that Fox and Brexit Minister David Davis have a “much more extreme point view” than Boris on Europe, adding: “They are too simplistic.”
They also warned: “Give it time and they will bump into the brick wall of reality.”
The punchy comments came after Theresa May had warned the trio against government infighting.
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The Lib Dem’s Tom Brake hit out, claiming: “Johnson and Fox are more concerned with Westminster power games than rebuilding Britain’s standing in the world after the Brexit that they both campaigned for.”
The MP called on Theresa May to step in, saying: “The PM has told the press she won’t have it, but it seems like it’s time she told them to their faces.”
He even joked that they should all “take a trip to their sizeable shared country home, Chevening, to sort out their differences and come up with an actual plan for Britain’s foreign policy going forward.”
Boris Johnson, David Davis and Liam Fox share a grace-and-favour residence in Kent, that has been nicknamed “Brexit Towers”.
Traditionally it has only been used by the Foreign Secretary, but in one of her first acts as PM, Theresa May ordered the three Brexit ministers to share the luxury pad.