Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill resign as Theresa May is accused of throwing aides 'under the bus'

Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill — the heavily influential advisers to UK Prime Minister Theresa May — have quit to save the Conservative leader from the threat of a leadership challenge on Monday (12 June).

The chief-of-staffs, who have worked with May since her time as Home Secretary, both released statements effectively taking the blame for a disastrous election campaign, that resulted in a hung parliament rather than the expected landslide majority for the Conservatives.

The moves comes amid BBC reports that May would face a leadership challenge on Monday unless she cut ties with the duo.

Timothy acknowledged he had "oversight of the policy programme", admitting responsibility for the failure to include a "ceiling as well as a floor" to the so-called "dementia tax" within the social care policy of the manifesto.

The policy would have seen elderly people in England have to pay for their social care costs if they had assests worth more than £100,000.

Hill released only a short statement saying it had been "a pleasure to work with such an excellent prime minister". The resignations are an unwanted distraction for May, with just over a week to go before Brexit negotiations begin. Journalist Matthew d'Ancona accused the Tory premier of throwing her now former aides "under the bus".