Few in the world of Conservative politics will be sad to see the downfall of Theresa May’s pugilistic aides Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill.
During less than a year in Downing Street, they became known for their confrontational style and reportedly throwing their weight around, with some MPs complaining they acted more like deputy prime ministers than unelected advisers. Hill was famed for sending sweary text messages, while Timothy was reported to have had an inflammatory row with Philip Hammond, the chancellor, over the budget.
Their approach to politics as a tight-knit team that shielded their boss from both Tory colleagues and the media dates back to their time in the Home Office.
Timothy was May’s special adviser on policy when she was home secretary, before becoming director of the New Schools Network, which supports setting up free schools.
Under David Cameron, his argumentative personality, behind his huge bushy beard, alienated some colleagues, and Downing Street is believed to have blocked him from the Conservative candidate list in 2015. A supporter of Brexit, he took an unpaid break to work on May’s 2016 leadership campaign before taking up his current role. He was a key believer in selective schools, and steered May towards a policy programme of Red Toryism that is socially conservative and economically interventionist.
Hill, a former journalist, also worked with May in the Home Office as a media adviser, and was one of the key movers behind the prime minister’s interest in modern slavery.
She left the department after a spat between the Home Office and Michael Gove’s team in the Department for Education in 2014, with Hill accused of leaking a letter that was damaging to Gove. May was apparently reluctant to lose her, and despite her resignation, it was rumoured that she remained in close contact with May before eventually rejoining her leadership team in the summer.
The pair were among the handful of people, which excluded several cabinet ministers, who knew May was about to call a general election in April.
Both of them have seen their short tenures in Downing Street fraught with controversy. Timothy recently fell under the media spotlight in connection to the investigation into allegations of election expenses fraud in South Thanet, where he worked over the 2015 election, though he has not been investigated and denies any wrongdoing.
Hill has made herself unpopular with cabinet ministers, advisers and Tory MPs, particularly with her blunt text messages. Several Downing Street staff have departed in recent months, including No 10 official spokeswoman Helen Bower, a senior civil servant; head of communications Katie Perrior; and press secretary Lizzie Loudon. Perrior spoke about out about an unpleasant atmosphere in Downing Street caused by “rude, abusive and childish” behaviour, which May either ignored or was unaware was caused by her closest confidantes.
Most memorable was the text sent to Nicky Morgan after the former education secretary appeared to criticise some leather trousers the prime minister had worn for a photo shoot.
Hill had texted a backbencher, Alistair Burt, urging him not to bring “that woman” to Downing Street as a result of her comments. Morgan heard about the messages, then protested to Hill that “no man brings me to any meeting”. “Well, he just did,” Hill replied. “So there!”
Many MPs and ministers have complained about the closeted nature of the trio, saying they insisted on having everything that goes to the PM run past them.
The pair, who formed a protective circle around May, have historically been close but rumours have surfaced recently of key differences of opinion and bickering, especially over plans to overhaul social care, arguably the Tories’ biggest election catastrophe and dubbed “the dementia tax” by rival parties.
The policy, which originally put no cap on social care costs but allowed people to keep up to £100,000 of assets, was reported to have been inserted at the insistence of Timothy, against the advice of some No 10 advisers including John Godfrey, head of the Downing Street policy unit.
As the scale of the policy’s unpopularity hit, May was forced into an embarrassing U-turn at the launch of the Welsh Conservative manifesto, where she said the government would consult on a cap. One Tory MP described the pledge as going down “like a cup of cold sick” on the doorstep.
During the election, Timothy and Hill have been running the show at CCHQ alongside election strategist Lynton Crosby. Both are veterans of campaigns, working in the central office while the party was in opposition, Timothy in the policy research department and Hill in media relations.
The pair are thought to be key drivers behind May’s leadership speech on the steps of Downing Street, where she said she would prioritise the “just-about-managing” families. Both are state-educated.
Their absence will certainly leave a vacuum at the heart of May’s project, as they have been at her side for most of the past seven years. But it will no doubt trigger a battle for ideological influence over May on the issues of Brexit, the economy and public services, while testing the direction of her own instincts.
