Markus Andrews

Sir John Major has accused cabinet ministers, including some running for the leadership, of speaking out against Boris Johnson “only when their silence became self-damaging”.In scathing comments, the former Tory leader and prime minister told MPs that Britain’s reputation had been undermined and said the blame for lapses lay “principally but not only with the prime minister”.“Many in the cabinet are culpable too are so are many outside the cabinet who cheered him on,” he added.“They were silent when they should have spoken out and then spoke out only when their silence became self-damaging”.However, Sir John stressed that “all of this can be corrected” as he urged parliamentarians and government to restore “constitutional standards and protect from any further slippage”.RecommendedHis remarks come less than a week after Mr Johnson announced his decision to step down as prime minister after facing mass resignations from the ministerial ranks and a cabinet revolt.He will remain in No 10 until the Conservative party elects and announces his successor on 5 September, with 10 candidates, including former and current cabinet ministers, running to succeed him.Hitting out at the actions of Mr Johnson’s administration over the last three years, Sir John warned that both of the UK and Parliament’s reputation has been damaged “at home and overseas”.In a statement to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee accused the government of flouting a “litany” of long-standing conventions.“Unlawfully tried to prorogue Parliament, ignored a nationwide lockdown by breaking its own laws in Downing Street, and tried to change parliamentary rules to protect one of their own,” he said.“The damage from that is widespread and beyond Parliament”.RecommendedPointing to the retreat of democracy in some countries across the world, he stressed: “Democracy is not inevitable. It can be undone step by step, action by action, falsehood by falsehood.“It should be protected at all times and it seems to me that if our law and our accepted conventions are ignored then you’re on a very slippery slope that ends with pulling our constitutions into shreds”. More

Boris Johnson loyalists Nadine Dorries and Jacob Rees-Mogg have jointly announced they are backing foreign secretary Liz Truss in the Conservative leadership contest.Endorsing Ms Truss from outside No 10, the pair said she represented “proper Conservatism” after the cabinet minister vowed to cut taxes from “day one” if she wins the contest.In a swipe at rival Rishi Sunak, the former chancellor who resigned from Mr Johnson’s cabinet last week, Mr Rees-Mogg said she was “always opposed to Rishi’s higher taxes”.Pressed on whether she is the “stop Rishi candidate”, he added: “Liz is the best candidate — that’s what we’re looking for.”Interjecting, Ms Dorries added: “And she’s a woman”.RecommendedTheir annoucement – after a cabinet meeting – came as Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, dropped out of the race in order to support the ex-chancellor Mr Sunak in the contest.“Huge thanks to my team for helping to pull together my leadership bid in literally no time!” the cabinet minister said.“Amongst a field of brilliant candidates I’ve spoken to Rishi Sunak who I believe has the competence and experience to lead this country.”As contenders vye to reach the 20 nomination threshold to get on the MPs’ ballot paper by Tuesday evening, a survey of the Tory faithful also indicated Penny Mordaunt and Kemi Badenoch are the current favourites.Conservative Home – a news and analysis blog popular with grassroots activists – conducted a survey of its readers and the top candidate to replace Boris Johnson is Ms Mordaunt.The international trade minister, who was previously at the Cabinet Office, got 19.6 per cent, with Kemi Badenoch, the former equalities minister coming a close second with 18.7 per cent.RecommendedMr Sunak, who currently has the most MPs backing him at 37, came in third place on 12.1 per cent.Brexiteer Suella Braverman, who has vowed to withdraw Britain from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) if she wins, came in fourth with 11.5 per cent. More

Grant Shapps has pulled of the Tory leadership race and thrown his weight behind Rishi Sunak.The former chancellor and frontrunner also received the endorsement of Dominic Raab, the deputy prime minister, who described him as a “true Conservative”.Mr Shapps, the transport secretary, was struggling to get the 20 backers required to enter the leadership contest, when nominations close this evening.In a tweet, he said: “Amongst a field of brilliant candidates I’ve spoken to, Rishi Sunak I believe has the competence and integrity to lead this country.”Mr Raab said Mr Sunak had “always had the courage of his convictions” and warned that – with the threat of a general election in two years’ time – there was no time for less experienced candidates to “learn on the job”.RecommendedMr Sunak sought to rebut criticism that he plotted to topple Boris Johnson, saying he would “have no part in a rewriting of history that seeks to demonise Boris”.And he criticised the often-vicious early campaigning, which has seen other candidates appear to gang up on him and his opposition to immediate tax cuts.“I will not engage in the negativity that you may have seen and read in the media. If others wish to do that, then let them – that’s not who we are, we can be better,” he told his launch event.Mr Shapps had only eight declared supporters, with former health secretary Sajid Javid and attorney general Suella Braverman (both 12) also lagging behind.Nominations will open and close on Tuesday, with the first ballot among Conservative MPs to be staged on Wednesday and a second on Thursday.Candidates will need 30 votes to progress through to the second ballot – to ensure they are whittled down to just two contenders by 21 July, with the final choice 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.RecommendedGraham Brady, the chair of the backbench 1922 Committee, said the party’s volunteers had insisted upon “sufficient opportunities for hustings” around the country in August.“We have reached a satisfactory agreement on that,” he told journalists – leaving Mr Johnson a further eight weeks in Downing Street for his “caretaker” period. More

Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer will table a no-confidence motion in Boris Johnson’s government on Tuesday in order to try to prevent his opposite number from clinging to power until the conclusion of his party’s leadership contest on 5 September.The prime minister was finally forced to step down on Thursday after the Chris Pincher scandal had inspired a tidal wave of ministerial mass resignations led by chancellor Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid as Mr Johnson’s own party revolted against his leadership.After delivering a resentful resignation speech from Downing Street in which he expressed no remorse or contrition over his myriad mistakes, it quickly became clear that Mr Johnson hoped to stay on in Number 10 for at least another eight weeks, a notion that was beyond the pale to many, with the PM’s enemies likening his ignominious bid to hold onto power to Donald Trump’s bogus election fraud narrative.Sir Keir warned the Conservatives last week: “He’s inflicted lies, fraud and chaos on this country. If they don’t get rid of him then Labour will step up, in the national interest, and bring a vote of no confidence, because we can’t go on with this prime minister clinging on for months and months to come.”He has now made good on that threat.RecommendedHere is everything you need to know about what happens next.What is a Commons no-confidence vote?What Sir Keir is proposing is effectively a Commons-wide referendum on the PM’s ongoing fitness for office, giving MPs from other parties including Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the Scottish National Party and the Greens their chance to weigh in on whether he should be drummed out early and replaced by a caretaker PM, perhaps his deputy Dominic Raab.Mr Johnson’s foes from across the aisle are unlikely to prove sympathetic and require a simple majority to win.However, it is nevertheless regarded as unlikely that Mr Johnson will be ousted ahead of schedule as most Tories are thought to have accepted the incumbent’s self-appointed caretaker status and retrained their focus on the fight to choose his permanent successor.They will also be wary that opposing the government could trigger a general election that would see them risk losing the large Commons majority Mr Johnson won in December 2019.If the confidence vote were to succeed, a general election could indeed be called, or the Queen could invite someone else to form a government on the basis they could win a vote of confidence in the House.It is the first time such a vote will have been held since Sir Keir’s predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn, brought one against Theresa May’s government in January 2019 in the wake of a historic defeat on her Brexit plans, which she survived.According to the House of Commons library, governments have been defeated on questions of confidence on just four occasions since 1895, with the most recent being in 1979, which brought about the toppling of James Callaghan’s Labour government.How does it differ from the Conservative Party vote held in June?Just after the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations last month – at which Mr Johnson was publicly booed by a crowd of royalists on the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral – Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the powerful Tory backbench organisation the 1922 Committee, announced that he had received the requisite number of letters from Conservative MPs expressing their loss of confidence in the PM to trigger a vote on his future.The Tories duly gathered in the Commons to cast their votes, with Mr Johnson only narrowly surviving the ballot by 211 votes to 148, meaning he had lost the support of almost 40 per cent of his own party.While the 1922 Committee’s current rules meant the PM would have been shielded from facing another such trial by fire for 12 months, members were due to vote on revising those regulations imminently, which could have resulted in his facing more regular challenges to his authority had he not been defenestrated by other means.When will it take place?Labour has said it is seeking to hold its vote in the House of Commons on Wednesday after the conclusion of Prime Minister’s Questions at around 12.30pm.RecommendedExplaining the thinking behind the vote, a party source told The Huffington Post on Monday: “It will put the squeeze on backbench Tories to either vote for him, and be hypocrites, or back Labour, admitting we’re right.“Do all those Tory leadership candidates really want to be answering that question next week? They know he needs to go.” More

The government will not attempt another flight to Rwanda until September at the earliest, as it awaits a decisive court hearing and the result of the Conservative leadership contest.The next prime minister will be announced on 5 September, the same date that the High Court will review whether the policy is legal.A hearing, originally set for next Tuesday, was delayed at the request of the charities bringing the legal challenge, to give them extra time to prepare their case.A Home Office source told The Independent no asylum seekers would be put on flights until September at the earliest because of the court case, denying reports that the delay was linked to the leadership election.All leadership candidates running so far have committed to continuing the Rwanda policy, despite concerns over its legality and effectiveness after the Home Office’s chief civil servant refused to approve the plans.RecommendedThey were forced through by Priti Patel, using a rare ministerial direction, following a letter from Matthew Rycroft warning: “Evidence of a deterrent effect is highly uncertain and cannot be quantified with sufficient certainty to provide me with the necessary level of assurance over value for money.”The government refused to answer a Freedom of Information request on costs lodged by The Independent, on the basis it needed a “safe space” to negotiate bilateral agreements.A plane intended to take the first group of asylum seekers to Kigali was grounded in June, after several passengers were granted last-minute injunctions by the European Court of Human Rights.Care4Calais, which is one of three charities to tell the High Court the policy is unlawful, said it was working with more than 20 people who have been detained and issued with legal notices claiming they will be removed to Rwanda.Founder Clare Moseley added: “Many of those from [the flight] last time remain detained, exhausted and alone, and terrified for what the future might bring. “These people have suffered some of the very worst things that can happen on this planet. They have appalling physical and mental scars, and now face the threat of further extreme trauma.”Detention Action, which is also part of the legal challenge, welcomed the news that a temporary pause had been put on flights.How did the ECHR stop the first Rwanda deportation flight?The charity had urged the Home Office not to “defy the courts” by sending people to Rwanda in the knowledge that they may have to be brought back if it loses the case.Whatever the High Court’s judgment in the judicial review, the losing side is expected to challenge the ruling in the Court of Appeal, and then potentially the Supreme Court and ECHR (ECHR) – continuing the case for months or possibly years.The PCS union, which represents Border Force staff and is also part of the legal action, is calling for the government to halt all flights to Rwanda until the result of the case is known.General secretary Mark Serwotka said: “We’re pleased the court has listened to our representations and granted the adjournment. This is a serious matter that has potentially grave consequences for all concerned. It, therefore, requires the most careful scrutiny.”Ms Patel and other ministers have argued that the policy is necessary to reduce the number of small boat crossings over the English Channel.Asylum seekers are being selected for removal to Rwanda after being declared “inadmissible” on the basis that they travelled through safe third countries.The definition is based on the UK’s immigration rules, which were redrawn by the government last year, and has been criticised by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), which said there is no requirement under the 1951 Refugee Convention to seek protection in the “first safe country”.The UK was cut out of an EU-wide agreement to transfer asylum seekers to countries deemed responsible for them during Brexit, and has not replaced the deal, creating a huge backlog of asylum seekers who have been declared “inadmissible” but cannot be sent to European countries as they were before.Home Office decision-making has also slowed down, leaving a record number of asylum seekers waiting for decisions on their claims.More than 13,300 people have crossed the English Channel in small boats so far this year, more than double the total by the same point in 2021.Last week, dozens of arrests were made in the biggest international police operation of its kind targeting a people-smuggling gang thought to have been responsible for around 10 per cent of all migrant crossings last year.The National Crime Agency said the arrests, and seizure of inflatable boats and equipment had damaged smugglers’ capabilities and would put a “dent” in crossing numbers.But an official warned that crossings would continue because of demand from migrants who have no safe or legal route to reach the UK from northern France.RecommendedA Home Office spokesperson said: “Our world-leading partnership with Rwanda is a key part of our strategy to overhaul the broken asylum system. We have been clear from the start that we expected legal challenges however we are determined to deliver this new partnership. “This is vital to prevent loss of life in the Channel and break the business model of people smugglers. No court has actually ruled that this partnership is unlawful and we are ready to defend the partnership in the courts.” More

Tory leadership hopefuls should stop coming out with “populist nonsense” about tax cuts, Ken Clarke has said.The former chancellor said he would love to see taxes coming down but that the economy was clearly not able to support them now.It comes after would-be replacements for Boris Johnson unveiled pledge after pledge designed to woo Tory members.Nadhim Zahawi, who took over as chancellor last week, on Monday said he would make £50 billion a year in tax cuts – as much as the entire budgets of the Ministry of Defence and Foreign Office.Sajid Javid also said he would make £40 billion in tax cuts including taking 10p off the price of petrol, cutting income tax, and scrapping the recent rise in national insurance.RecommendedSpeaking on Monday night on the BBC’s Newsnight programme Mr Clarke said:”I would like to see tax cuts, of course I would, from the present extraordinary levels. But when the economy has been put into a state where you could responsibly afford them. “Tough and difficult decisions are require right now, not more populist nonsense on top of what we’ve sometimes had already.”Other candidates like Penny Mordaunt and Tom Tugendhat have both said that tax cuts are important but that other economic reform measures are needed to stimulate growth. Mr Zahawi insisted on Tuesday that cutting taxes “isn’t a fairytale” in a swipe at his leadership rival Rishi Sunak, as he set out his pitch to the Conservative membership.Mr Sunak said leadership required “honesty and responsibility, not fairytales” and said he would only cut taxes after getting inflation under control.In March Mr Clarke, who served as chancellor from 1993 to 1997, branded Mr Sunak himself “reckless” for pledging to cut income tax three years in advance. RecommendedIn office the former chancellor himself prioritised low taxes and balanced budgets, cutting the basic rate of income tax from 25 per cent to 23 per cent, and also cut UK Government spending as a percentage of GDP and the budget deficit. It was announced on Monday that the new leader of the Conservative party, to replace Boris Johnson ,would be announced on 5 September, after a hot summer of campaigning. More

Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi has insisted cutting taxes “isn’t a fairytale” in a swipe at his leadership rival Rishi Sunak, as he set out his pitch to the Conservative membership.The remarks from Mr Zahawi — appointed chancellor after Mr Sunak’s resignation last week — came after he set out plans to reverse a planned hike in corporation tax and slash VAT from energy bills.In a campaign video on Tuesday, the Tory leadership hopeful said: “We need to reduce the burden of tax. I believe cutting taxes isn’t a fairytale, but rather a critical step to tackle the cost-of-living crisis”.Taxation has become a key dividing issue between Mr Sunak, the former chancellor who has advocated restraint until the economy improves, and other candidates who have floated immediate tax cuts if they win the race to succeed Boris Johnson in No 10.Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, another of the 11 candidates vying to replace the prime minister, has vowed to start cutting taxes “from day one” and would reverse April’s national insurance hike.RecommendedBut in his own campaign launch today, Mr Sunak will tell his supporters: “We need a return to traditional economic values — and that means honesty and responsibility, not fairytales.”“My message to the party and country is simple: I have a plan to steer our country through these headwinds,” he will add. “Once we have gripped inflation, I will get the tax burden down. It is a question of ‘when’, no ‘if’”.Speaking on BBC Newsnight, the former Tory chancellor Ken Clarke, appeared to back Mr Sunak’s stance, stressing that some Tory leadership hopefuls were peddling “populist nonsense” with major tax pledges.He said candidates needed to show they are willing to take the “tough, necessary decisions” in the face of the “worst economic crisis we’ve had for at least a generation” and the possibility of a recession.He suggested immediate tax cuts could boost demand and result add to the inflationary pressures facing the country, adding: “I would like to see tax cuts, of course I would from the present extraordinary levels, but when the economy has been put into a state when you can responsibly afford them”.Recommended“Difficult decisions are required now, not more populist nonsense on top of what we’ve sometimes heard already,” he added.Lord Clarke’s comments were echoed yesterday by another former Conservative chancellor, Lord Lamont, who warned the leadership contest risked descending into a “Dutch auction” and that “unfunded, irresponsible tax cuts which are not necessarily affordable, not necessarily rightly timed”. More

Contenders to replace British Prime Minister Boris Johnson were racing Tuesday to clear their first hurdle: amassing enough support from colleagues to make the Conservative Party leadership ballot.Nominations officially opened Tuesday morning and will close at 6 p.m. (1700GMT). Candidates need support from at least 20 Conservative lawmakers to be on the ballot for run-off votes, which will start Wednesday.So far only three of the 11 declared candidates have met the threshold: former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak, Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt and backbench lawmaker Tom Tugendhat. Several others are likely also to reach the mark, including Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, Treasury chief Nadhim Zahawi and former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt.The candidates are jostling to replace Johnson, who quit as Conservative leader last week amid a party revolt triggered by months of ethics scandals. He will remain in office as a caretaker prime minister until his replacement as party chief is chosen. The winner of that contest will automatically become prime minister, without the need for a national election.The new leader will be chosen in a two-stage election, in which the 358 Conservative lawmakers reduce the race to two candidates through a series of elimination votes. The final pair will be put to a ballot of party members across the country.RecommendedThe first round of voting will take place Wednesday, with candidates who fail to get at least 30 votes eliminated. Further rounds will take place Thursday and, if needed, next week.The party aims to complete the parliamentary stage of the election before lawmakers break for the summer on July 21. The two final candidates will then spend the summer campaigning around the country.The new leader is due to be announced when the House of Commons returns on Sept. 5.Many Conservatives are wary of leaving Johnson in office for too long, concerned a lame-duck leader is the last thing Britain needs with war raging in Ukraine, food and energy price increases driving inflation to levels not seen in decades, and growing labor unrest. Some also worry Johnson — brought down by scandals over money, rule-breaking and his handling of sexual misconduct allegations against lawmakers — could do mischief even as a caretaker prime minister. The opposition Labour Party says it will push to hold a no-confidence vote in Johnson in the House of Commons this week. But it is unlikely to gain enough Conservative support to pass, as many Tories resist voting with the opposition even against a tarnished leader.In the wide-open leadership contest, contenders are striving to set themselves apart from the perceived front-runner Sunak, who already has the backing of more than three dozen lawmakers.Many have repudiated the tax increases Sunak introduced to shore up U.K. finances battered by the coronavirus pandemic and Brexit — a 1.25% income-tax rise for millions of workers, and an increase in corporation tax next year from 19% to 25%. Most candidates say they will scrap one or both.Sunak, whose resignation a week ago helped topple Johnson, has cast himself as the candidate of fiscal probity, and warned rivals not to tell the public “comforting fairy tales.”Zahawi hit back that his own tax-cutting plan was “fully costed.”“I believe cutting taxes isn’t a fairy tale, but rather a critical step to tackle the cost-of-living crisis,” he said.Recommended___Follow all of AP’s coverage of Prime Minister Boris Johnson and British politics at https://apnews.com/hub/boris-johnson More