Philip Hammond's allies warn Theresa May she will damage her authority if she sacks him

Philip Hammond's allies have warned Theresa May that sacking him would deal a "crushing" blow to her authority and claimed he is the victim of a Eurosceptic plot.The Chancellor was on Wednesday forced into a humiliating Budget reversal after the Prime Minister scrapped his plans to increase national insurance contributions for the self-employed.Conservative MPs said that the fiascos had been "hugely damaging" to Mr Hammond's authority, with one saying he was "on probation".