Downing Street rejects Philip Hammond's calls to cut welfare not troops Asked if Mr Hammond's comments were unhelpful, the spokesman said: "One would always expect secretaries of state and departmental ministers to make a robust case on behalf of their priorities. I think that is entirely to be expected. There will be a process of ministerial discussion and negotiation, and following that departmental budgets will be announced. It comes after Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, hit out at plans for spending cuts due to be implemented by George Osborne after 2015. In a sign of growing divisions at the heart of the Government, Mr Cable said ministers in the Cabinet will be "defending our turf" against increased cuts. Theresa May, the Home Secretary, and Eric Pickles, the Communities Secretary, are also said have voiced anger that their departments are in line for cuts while others are exempt. Mr Cable yesterday declared himself a member of the so-called "National Union of Ministers" vehemently opposing cuts to their departmental budgets. He told the BBC's Sunday Politics programme that ring-fencing some Government department's budgets is "not a good approach to public spending in the long run."