Budget 2017: Philip Hammond and Theresa May share staged cough sweet joke mid-statement

Ms May also handed the Chancellor a box of cough sweets – repaying his favour from the Conservative conference

Chancellor Philip Hammond mocked the Prime Minister during his Budget speech with a stage-managed jibe about her incessant cough at the Conservative party conference.

Pointing at a glass of water next to the despatch box, Mr Hammond recalled Theresa May’s disastrous conference speech.

“I did take the precaution of asking my right honourable friend to bring a packet of cough sweets just incase,” he said.

Ms May had attempted to relaunch her troubled premiership but her speech was overshadowed by a cough, a prankster handing her a P45 and problems with the stage backdrop.

Appreciating the jibe, Ms May then handed the Chancellor a box of cough sweets – repaying his favour from the Conservative conference.

The Chancellor also joked that he had included “economicky” words in his Budget statement – a reference to a briefing against Michael Gove after an anonymous Cabinet minister claimed the Environment Secretary was “auditioning” for the Chancellor’s job.