Hammond’s banishment meant the Tories downplayed the economy. But campaign officials are also adamant that Hill and Timothy regarded economic differentiation as part of the Cameron–Osborne playbook from which they were keen to distance themselves. That meant no letters from hundreds of businessmen saying the Tories could be trusted, a favourite Osborne tactic, which Hill felt had failed the Remain campaign in 2016. ‘At the beginning of the campaign, the steer we got was: no dossiers or letters this time,’ a research department source said. ‘No one believes them any more.’
