Sketch: Is Philip Hammond political Kryptonite?

Ok, perhaps not so much ‘occasionally’, more ‘repetitively’ and not so much ‘utter’, more ‘tell anyone who will listen’.

Meanwhile she has derided Jeremy Corbyn as “weak”, shambolic and “floundering”.

But yesterday the self-appointed strong woman of British politics showed a moment of weakness.

It was only fleeting, but as Mrs May accused Mr Corbyn of making promises paid for with imaginary money, her voice croaked and then, more remarkably still, she had to pause and cough.

Could it be that Mrs May is human after all rather than the political world’s answer to the Terminator?

And what was it about her latest appearance in front of the media that could have brought about this uncharacteristic sign of human frailty?

Scientists would pursue the answer to that question by studying a control version of Mrs May’s campaigning and comparing it to the variables in her latest outing.

Happily, that can be done in this case as Mrs May has pursued a fairly consistent approach to her campaigning involving solo appearances.

Yesterday, however, there was a significant variable in the shape of a second person on stage next to her, Chancellor Philip Hammond.

Through this application of scientific principles we might therefore hypothesize that Mr Hammond is to the Prime Minister what Kryptonite is to Superman.

Is it this vulnerability to Mr Hammond’s presence, rather than rows over fiscal policy, that is truly the source of the reported tension between 10 and 11 Downing Street?

Perhaps Mrs May should keep the chancellor in a lead-lined box, just to be on the safe side.