Philip Hammond: New Chancellor responds to Richard Madeley's claims he was a 'goth' in school as shocking

'I could tell you lots of things about Richard Madeley'

Philip Hammond has dismissed claims that he was a Guardian wielding goth during his school days as “shocking”.

LBC presenter Nick Ferrari asked if the new Chancellor and hardline Conservative had seen coverage of his background in The Times, which he said was celebrated for being so “different” to that of George Osborne. Mr Hammond attended a comprehensive and is a self-made millionaire worth an estimated £8 million.

He then enquired if Mr Hammond had seen claims by his former school mate, Richard Madeley, from back in 2013, where he claimed the Chancellor was once a “goth” who used to “arrive in class in a leather trench coat with The Guardian under his arm.”

The TV presenter and Mr Hammond both attended Shenfield High School in Brentwood, Essex, during the 1970s.

“I could tell you lots of things about Richard Madeley,” Mr Hammond replied.

“Very importantly, after that comment was made, Richard Madeley contacted me to make a very important correction.

“He said that on reflection, it probably was the Financial Times, not The Guardian.”

In a separate conversation with ITV’s This Morning Britain, he described the claims as particularly “shocking” because “goths hadn’t even been invented in those days”.

Mr Hammond was the first political appointment to be announced by Theresa May as she unveils her new cabinet. The new Prime Minister caused great surprise when she announced his replacement would be the outspoken former Mayor of London Boris Johnson.