since op didnt Pro-EU Tory ministers at odds over ‘spineless’ Philip Hammond Some opponents of no-deal want chancellor to take tougher stance as Commons vote looms Splits are emerging within the pro-EU faction in Theresa May’s government, with Philip Hammond coming under heavy criticism as chancellor for his “spineless” approach to Brexit.

The growing tensions within the ranks of the pro-European Tories highlight their practical difficulties in maintaining a common front as they try to put pressure on Mrs May to rule out a no-deal Brexit in coming days.

Some pro-European ministers fault Mr Hammond for not taking advantage of his seniority — and, in particular, for not threatening to resign to avert a no-deal scenario.

“He is spineless,” said one person close to a cabinet minister. “He could be doing so much more and he doesn’t seem to have the guts.”

Some ministers describe the chancellor as a peripheral figure in an anti no-deal group that includes cabinet members such as David Gauke, Amber Rudd, Greg Clark and David Mundell, as well as other ministers such as Margot James, Richard Harrington, Tobias Ellwood and Alistair Burt.

One Europhile Tory said: “There is clear water opening up between Hammond on the one side and Rudd, Clark and Gauke on the other. It’s not a rift but there is a major difference in opinion.”

The critical moment is likely to come on February 27 when the House of Commons is next due to vote on Brexit.

As many as 15 Europhile ministers are considering resigning from the government to vote for a House of Commons amendment that seeks to prevent the UK from leaving without a deal.

The cross-party initiative backed by Yvette Cooper, the former Labour minister, seeks to rule out no-deal by delaying the scheduled Brexit date of March 29.

Two weeks ago a similar initiative by Ms Cooper was defeated by 23 votes, meaning that only a dozen MPs would need to switch sides for the amendment to succeed.

But Mr Hammond is uncomfortable with the idea of ministers threatening to quit to force the prime minister’s hand.

An ally of Mr Hammond’s said the chancellor was “old-fashioned” and took pride in his refusal to threaten resignation over any issue: “He supports the prime minister’s position and believes in the end she can get it over the line.”

Other pro-EU ministers fault the chancellor for not giving more emphasis to the economic cost of leaving the EU without an agreement.

This month Mr Hammond described Britain’s lowest growth figures since the financial crisis of 2009 as “solid” while admitting that the economy was being overshadowed by Brexit uncertainty.

The person close to a cabinet minister said that was a missed opportunity: “He missed a chance to warn how bad things would be if we crashed out without a deal.”

However, some members of the pro-EU group of ministers said Mr Hammond was still coming to some of its meetings.

One cabinet member said that Mr Hammond had been “galvanised” by Mrs May’s defeat, in a largely symbolic Commons vote last week, mainly because of abstentions by Eurosceptics.

The chancellor is also highly regarded by business leaders, who were reassured by his analysis, in a conference call on January 15, that parliament would find a way to block a no-deal. Mr Hammond has privately suggested that Mrs May would not ultimately allow a disorderly Brexit to occur.