Markus Andrews

Conservative leadership hopeful Nadhim Zahawi has said he would “certainly” give Boris Johnson a cabinet role if the caretaker prime minister is keen for a job after leaving No 10.The chancellor insisted he remained a loyal ally of Mr Johnson, despite publicly urging him to stand down amid a flurry of ministerial resignations last week.“Boris Johnson is a friend of mine for 30 years,” Mr Zahawi told LBC on Wednesday. “If he wishes to serve in cabinet then I would certainly offer him a job.”He added: “He has been probably the most consequential prime minister of his generation. He’s delivered Brexit.”Mr Zahawi, one of the eight candidates who made in onto Wednesday’s first round ballot after receiving 20 nominations, is at pains to point out to Johnson loyalists that he did not betray the PM.Many of the junior ministers who stayed in government and MPs who accepted ministerial roles last week amid the turmoil of the rebellion are angry at Mr Sunak over his perceived “treachery”.RecommendedMr Zahawi explained why he called for Mr Johnson to go on Thursday, having accepted the role of chancellor only two days before. He said he wanted to “put country first”, but realised on Wednesday “we couldn’t realistically have a functioning government”.“I went to Boris Johnson [on Wednesday] and explained he was in danger of being humiliated, and I didn’t want to see him being put through that,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “He’s a friend of 30 years.”He added: “The next morning. I felt the only thing I could do was write a letter to him, to remind of our conversation and ask him to do the right thing. And I think he did the right thing ultimately.”It come sas Jacob Rees-Mogg said he would refuse to serve in Mr Sunak’s government because loyalty was “extremely important” to him.The Brexit opportunities, who is backing Liz Truss, said she had “opposed the endless tax rises of the former chancellor, which I think have been economically damaging”.Asked how long Ms Truss had been planning a leadership campaign, Mr Rees-Mogg responded: “She may have had drinks with MPs and meetings, but that’s the routine business of cabinet ministers. Even I had drinks parties with other MPs – when I was allowed to.”Referring to Mr Sunak’s team registering his campaign website back in December – as first reported by The Independent – he added: “It’s not setting up a website, it’s not getting ready in December … that’s a different order of magnitude.”Asked if he would take a cabinet post from Mr Sunak if became PM, Mr Rees-Mogg said: “No, of course I wouldn’t. I believe his behaviour towards Boris Johnson, his disloyalty, means I could not possibly support him.”Mr Sunak has been subjected to bitter attacks from Johnson loyalists, with Mr Rees-Mogg accusing him of being a “socialist” chancellor and Nadine Dorries claiming he has waged “dirty tricks” to ensure he wins.RecommendedTory MP Mark Francois, chair of the European Research Group (ERG) of Brexiteers, has said he is backing Liz Truss for the leadership.“I have personally decided to vote for Liz Truss to be our next prime minister,” he told The Telegraph, hailing her “experience and leadership ability to unite the Conservative Party”.The group of around 60 MPs in the group is set to meet at midday to discuss the candidates, but it is not clear they would agree on one candidate. Steve Baker – the self-declared “Brexit hardman” and former ERG chair – is backing Suella Braverman. More

Like most of his predecessors as Conservative Party leader, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is wealthy, white and male. There’s a good chance his successor will be different.The eight candidates running in a party election to succeed Johnson are four men and four women, with roots in Iraq, India, Pakistan and Nigeria as well as the U.K. The race could give the country its first Black or brown prime minister, its third female leader, or both.With the first round of voting by Conservative lawmakers set for Wednesday, the bookies’ favorite is former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak, son of Indian parents who came to Britain from East Africa. Other contenders include Kemi Badenoch, whose parents are Nigerian; Nadhim Zahawi, who was born in Baghdad and came to Britain as a child and Suella Braverman, whose Indian parents moved to Britain from Kenya and Mauritius.With Penny Mordaunt and Liz Truss also in the race, only two white men — Tom Tugendhat and Jeremy Hunt — are running.Zahawi, who recalled coming to Britain at age 11 speaking no English, said “the Conservative Party has made me who I am today.”RecommendedBut if the contenders reflect the face of modern Britain, the winner will be chosen by an electorate that does not. The next party leader, who will also become prime minister, will be chosen by about 180,000 Conservative members who tend to be affluent, older white men.The slate of candidates reflects successful efforts to attract more diverse talent to the party and shake its “pale, male and stale” image, begun after former Prime Minister David Cameron became party leader in 2005. Cameron made a push to draft diverse candidate shortlists for solidly Conservative seats, an effort that has seen Black and brown Tory lawmakers elected in constituencies that are predominantly white. The party’s attempt to attract aspiring politicians from immigrant backgrounds has succeeded despite a Brexit vote in which the winning “leave” side — championed by Boris Johnson — played on concerns about immigration.“The Conservative Party is very diverse at the very, very top,” said Sunder Katwala, director of the equality think-tank British Future. “It’s a massive, rapid change, and it’s a level of ethnic diversity that has never been seen in any leadership field for any political party in any Western democracy.“It’s clear that minority candidates have a sense that their voice, their story, is relevant to this moment. That might be the story of aspiration, it might be the story of inclusive patriotism after Brexit.”Change has happened despite the Conservatives lagging behind the left-of-center Labour Party in terms of overall diversity. Labour, which passed Britain’s first race relations act in 1965, has long seen itself as the natural home for ethnic-minority voters, as well as a champion of women’s rights. Half of Labour’s lawmakers are women and 20% come from non-white backgrounds; among Tory legislators, 24% are women and 6% belong to ethnic minorities.But minorities in the Tory party have risen higher, and faster. Sunak, Zahawi and Javid all served in Johnson’s Cabinet in senior posts. Both of Britain’s female prime ministers — Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May — have been Tories, while Labour has never had a female leader. The only British prime minister from an ethnic minority background was 19th-century leader Benjamin Disraeli, who came from Sephardic Jewish stock. He was a Conservative, too.“Labour continues to regard minorities as groups to be protected or talked about a lot — but for whatever reason it seems they can’t or won’t advance them on merit to the highest offices,” said Conservative commentator Alex Deane. “The conservative approach is to advance people on ability regardless of gender or color and — guess what?— it works.”If the candidates’ backgrounds are diverse, their views are less so. Johnson’s drive for a “hard” Brexit from the European Union, regardless of the economic cost, drove many pro-European and centrist lawmakers out of the government. Those who remain, of all backgrounds, are small-state, free-marketeers inspired by “Iron Lady” Thatcher.Contenders have fallen over one another to promise tax cuts, painting Sunak as a left-winger because he has suggested that slashing taxes might not immediately be possible amid war in Ukraine and a stuttering post-pandemic economy.Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London, said the race was “a contest between different strains of Thatcherism.”In part that’s because the candidates are wooing an electorate, members of the Conservative Party, that is significantly less diverse — racially, economically and ideologically — than Britain as a whole.A study of political party membership by Queen Mary University of London and Sussex University, completed in 2020, found 95% of Conservative members identified as “White British,” compared to about 86% of the population as a whole. Some 63% of party members were men, 58% were aged 50 or older and 80% were middle class or above.Still, Katwala, who studies British social attitudes, is confident the Conservative electorate “will see the leaders through their politics and through issues” rather than through gender or ethnicity.“Britain has become a more tolerant, less racially prejudiced country, very significantly, over the last few generations,” he said.“What makes ethnic diversity normal in politics is when you’ve got it on the right, on the left and in the middle. “Recommended___Follow all of AP’s coverage of Prime Minister Boris Johnson and British politics at https://apnews.com/hub/boris-johnson More

Britain’s top business leaders have urged the Conservative leadership candidates hoping to succeed Boris Johnson not to ditch or backslide on the government’s net zero climate commitments.Groups representing thousands of UK businesses – including Unilever, Coca-Cola, Scottish Power, Thames Water and Lloyds Banking Group – have called on contenders to uphold policies aimed at achieving net zero by 2050.It comes as MPs and peers warn that “siren voices” from net zero sceptics on the Tory backbenches are hoping to move leadership hopefuls away from policies aimed at tackling climate change.Right-wing contender Kemi Badenoch has branded the net zero target “unilateral economic disarmament” and vowed to axe it, while Suella Braverman said the party should “suspend the all-consuming desire to achieve net zero by 2050”.A coalition of leading corporate bodies – including the Food and Drink Federation, the International Chamber of Commerce and UK Corporate Leaders Group (CLG) – have shared an open letter warning not to abandon the party’s manifesto commitment.Eliot Whittington, director of CLG, warned that a retreat on net zero policies would “condemn the country to fall behind on the energy transition and face unnecessary costs and risks”.RecommendedHe added: “Forward-looking businesses want more, not less, ambition on climate action – especially as we see the ramifications of volatile fossil fuel supply chains ramping up the cost-of-living crisis and reducing regional energy security.”The coalition of business chiefs said investment in green infrastructure and technology would help driving jobs and growth, in a letter coordinated by the UK Business Group Alliance for Net Zero, led by Cambridge University’s pro-climate business group CLG.Amanda Mackenzie, chief executive of Business in the Community, called on all those hoping to enter No 10 in September to “deliver” on a clear transition to a net zero. “Turning away now is the wrong solution,” she said.Julie Hirigoyen, chief executive of UK Green Building Council, added: “As prices soar businesses are looking for the next prime minister to deliver on the UK’s legal climate commitments, not ditch them.”Senior MP Steve Baker – founder of the Net Zero Scrutiny Group (NZSG) of Tory backbenchers – has suggested that he would push for the next PM to dismantle the government’s climate agenda.Ms Badenoch, appealing to the sceptics, told her campaign launch on Tuesday: “Too many policies, like net zero targets, [were] set up with no thought to the effects on industries in the poorer parts of this country.”Conservative peer Zac Goldsmith previously told The Independent it would be better to have a Labour government than a Tory leader who “deprioritises” action on net zero.The ally of Mr Johnson added: “It would be a catastrophic error for Conservatives to select a candidate who deprioritises these issues, but if they do, then we can only hope voters replace the party at the [next] available election.”Chris Skidmore, a senior backbencher who chairs the Net Zero Support Group set up to rival Mr Baker’s band of sceptics, has vowed to push candidates to uphold Britain’s climate commitments.“We can’t put net zero at risk,” Mr Skidmore, the former energy minister who signed the 2050 target into law, told The Independent. “I devoutly believe net zero is a vote winner.”RecommendedAlok Sharma, the former business minister who acted as president of the Cop26 climate conference, has warned Tory leadership hopefuls not to backslide on the net zero pledge.“Economically, environmentally and electorally it would be a retrograde step for us to resile from this policy. It’s a road to nowhere,” he told the i newspaper.Asked if frontrunner Rishi Sunak is fully behind policies aimed at achieving net zero emissions by 2050, he said: “I will wait to see what all the candidates say on this particular issue, which is very important for me.” More

Rishi Sunak has been accused of setting the UK on course for “a recession” and of “dirty tricks” after cementing his status as the frontrunner to succeed Boris Johnson.The former chancellor came under fire from both wings of the Conservative Party, after securing the most nominations in a race for the Tory leadership that descended into vicious backbiting.Jeremy Hunt claimed Mr Sunak’s refusal to slash taxes had risked an economic slump, while Liz Truss supporters argued the quick contest favoured his “disloyalty” to Mr Johnson, accusing him of a long underground campaign.The attacks came as eight candidates secured enough nominations to make it through to the first ballot, but former health secretary Sajid Javid suffered a shock knockout. The home secretary Priti Patel also abandoned her attempt to join the race, due to a lack of support.Aside from Mr Sunak, Mr Hunt and Ms Truss, the remaining leadership hopefuls comprise Penny Mordaunt, Tom Tugendhat, chancellor Nadhim Zahawi, Kemi Badenoch and attorney general Suella Braverman.RecommendedA fierce battle is shaping up to be the candidate of the right of the party, ahead of voting on Wednesday, with foreign secretary Ms Truss competing with the little-known Ms Badenoch and Ms Braverman. More

A new Tory minister been criticised after repeating allegations Angela Rayner “opened her legs” to distract Boris Johnson in the Commons.Levelling Up minister Lia Nici made the comment in an interview despite the Prime Minister having previously described it as “sexist, misogynistic tripe”.Ms Nici, MP for Great Grimsby, told BBC Politics North on Saturday: “Let’s be honest here. We talk about honesty and integrity. More

When Ellie Shakiba arrived on Nauru island, a 21km-square patch of rock in the Pacific Ocean, she thought she wouldn’t be there for long.She had survived a perilous journey from Iran, through Indonesia, into the hands of people smugglers and across the Indian Ocean. Her head full of warm expectations about the Western world, she had hoped that Australia would house her as a refugee. Instead, she was shipped to a detention centre 2,800 miles away. More

Conservative Party leadership hopeful Sajid Javid has pulled out of the race to succeed Boris Johnson just moments before the closing of nominations.The former health secretary had been a key figure in the push by cabinet ministers to get rid of the prime minister, sparking a flurry of resignations by quitting government a week ago.Mr Javid claimed that he had since “set out the values and policies I think are right for the future of our great country” – before calling on remaining Tory candidates to “look outwards, not inwards”.Sir Graham Brady, chair of the 1922 Committee of backbenchers announced the eight contenders who gained enough support to make it into the first round of the contest.The nominated candidates who successfully found at least 20 backers were Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss, Penny Mordaunt, Kemi Badenoch, Tom Tugendhat, Suella Braverman, Jeremy Hunt and Nadhim Zahawi.Mr Javid failed to find much support among those who stayed in government MPs who remained loyal to Mr Johnson until the bitter end of his premiership.RecommendedThe former minister had also struggled to bat away ongoing questions about his tax affairs, after he admitted earlier he had benefitted from non-domicile tax status before entering politics.The Independent reported on Monday that Mr Javid exploited a tax loophole to benefit from non-dom perks while working in the Treasury as a ministerial aide.Although he had set out a series of tax cut promises costing £39bn, Mr Javid did not manage to build support on the right of the party as a credible tax-cutter. And Ms Truss, Mr Badenoch and Ms Braverman proved more sucessful appealling to Brexiteers.Frontrunner Mr Sunak has picked up a lot of backing dismissing “fairytales” and advocating fiscal responsibility, while Mr Tugendhat has forged ahead as the candidate of One Nation moderates from the centre of the party.Mr Javid did not say who he would now through his weight behind. He denied working his resignation with Mr Sunak over their near-simultaneous resignations.Home secretary Priti Patel ruled out a late bid for the leadership earlier on Tuesday after her closest rivals absorbed much of the support from the right of the party. Mr Johnson’s arch loyalists Nadine Dorries and Jacob Rees-Mogg came out in support of foreign secretary Liz Truss in a bid to block Mr Sunak.Mr Rees-Mogg said she has “always opposed Rishi’s higher taxes”, while Ms Dorries said Ms Truss – who voted Remain in the 2016 referendum – is probably a “stronger Brexiteer than both of us”.An ally of Ms Braverman, asked if she would consider withdrawing to unite the right behind someone else, told The Independent: “She absolutely won’t.”RecommendedRed wall Tory MP Aaron Bell, championing Mr Tugendhat, claimed the moderate’s campaign had got “a lot of second preferences” and would move forward through the ballots this week.The senior MP from the 2019 intake, now a member of the 1922 committe, told Sky News: “I can’t tell you they are right now, because they’re obviously [currently] supporting other people.”The first ballot of MPs will now take place on Wednesday, with any candidate who fails to get at least 30 votes expected to drop out.A second ballot will follow on Thursday with further ballots to be held next week until the list of candidates is whittled down to a final two, who will go forward into a postal ballot of party members in August. The final result would be announced on 5 September. More

Eight candidates have made it through to the first round of Tory leadership race, as Sajid Javid suffered a shock knockout.Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss and Penny Mordaunt have secured the most declared nominations in the contest, ahead of the first ballot of MPs on Wednesday.But Tom Tugendhat, Jeremy Hunt, Kemi Badenoch, Nadhim Zahawi and Suella Braverman also secured the 20 backers required to cross the line and make the vote a crowded field.Mr Javid, the former health secretary, suffered the humiliation of failing to make the starting line – along with rank outsider Rehman Chishti, who failed to win any public backers.The line-up underlines the fierce battle to be candidate of the right of the party, with Ms Truss, the foreign secretary, competing with the little-known Ms Badenoch and Ms Braverman.RecommendedMr Hunt – the defeated 2019 candidate who was expected to be the standard bearer for the One Nation group – appears to be slipping badly behind Mr Tugendhat for that mantle.But Mr Sunak, the former chancellor, remains the frontrunner to top the poll among Tory MPs, with 46 publicly-declared supporters.In the first ballot among the 359 Conservative MPs on Wednesday, candidates will need 30 votes to progress through to the second round on Thursday.More votes will be held next week, to whittle down the hopefuls to just two contenders by 21 July, with the final choice to be made by members.The new prime minister will then be revealed on 5 September, dashing the hopes of many Conservative MPs that Mr Johnson could be forced out of No 10 sooner.As the field narrowed, there were allegations of dirty tricks by the Sunak camp to keep Mr Hunt’s campaign alive by “lending” him nominations to stay in the race.RecommendedNadine Dorries, the culture secretary and a Truss supporter, condemned “a stitch up”, saying: “Team Rishi want the candidate they know they can definitely beat in the final two”.However, the claim was strongly denied – and it appeared unlikely that even help from Mr Sunak can drag Mr Hunt into the second stage of the contest, with his bid stuttering. More