Markus Andrews

Newly-appointed chancellor Nadhim Zahawi has entered the race for the Tory leadership to replace Boris Johnson.He is the second Cabinet minister to declare their ambition in the space of an hour after transport Grant Shapps said he intended to stand on a platform of improving the economy and tackling the cost of living crisis.Mr Zahawi, who was brought in to replace Rishi Sunak after he resigned on Tuesday, said his focus will be on lower taxes for for individuals, families and business.He also pledged to increased defence spending and continue with education reforms that he started in his previous role.In addition to Mr Zahawi, Mr Shapps, Mr Sunak, and Suella Braverman, Kemi Badenoch and Tom Tugendhat have launched their own bids, with Liz Truss, Penny Mordaunt, Sajid Javid and Jeremy Hunt expected to launch imminent campaigns in th the coming days.RecommendedIn his bid for leader, Mr Zahawi said: “My aim is a simple one: to provide the opportunities that were afforded to my generation, to all Britons, whoever you are and wherever you come from. To steady the ship and to stabilise the economy.“Thanks to Brexit, we are now a free nation. Let’s not just talk about the opportunities that follow, let’s take them.“If a young boy, who came here aged 11 without a word of English, can serve at the highest levels of Her Majesty’s Government and run to be the next prime minister, anything is possible.”He added that he wants to “focus on letting children be children, protecting them from damaging and inappropriate nonsense being forced on them by radical activists”.Mr Zahawi was given massive plaudits for the swift roll-out of Covid-19 vaccines in the UK and was quickly promoted to education secretary by Boris Johnson.He is one of the Cabinet ministers who did not resign last week and was instead promoted to chancellor by Mr Johnson after Mr Sunak stepped down.However Mr Zahawi’s bid for the leadership comes as The Independent can exclusively reveal that his tax affairs are being investigated by HMRC.RecommendedMichelle Donelan, who resigned from the role of education secretary on Thursday – less than 36 hours after accepting it, said she was backing Nadhim Zahawi to be the next Tory leader.In a tweet, she said: “I’ve worked with Nadhim Zahawi in the Department for Education, and around the cabinet table over the last 10 months. I’m backing him to be our next prime minister because he gets things done and delivers just like he did as Vaccines Minister.” More

“The clown is going,” said Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of Russia’s parliament after the fall of Boris Johnson. “He is one of the main ideologues of the war against Russia until the last Ukrainian. European leaders should think about where such a policy leads.”Maria Zakharova, spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry in the Kremlin, declared: “The moral of the story is: do not seek to destroy Russia: it cannot be destroyed. You can break your teeth on it – and then choke on them.”Mr Johnson may regard these insults as badges of honour. He certainly will not object to being called the leader in the support of Ukraine against Russian aggression: although the volume of America’s military and financial support to Kyiv outweighs those from other Western states.But the UK is now leaderless, without a prime minister who wields any authority. To continue with the Russian theme, Boris Johnson is now the head of a Potemkin government – a false and hollow structure. This could continue for months, and it is a vulnerable place for the country to be in these uncertain times.Recommended More

A British Cabinet minister tipped to be a frontrunner in the Conservative Party’s leadership race ruled himself out of the contest Saturday.Defense Minister Ben Wallace said after “careful consideration” and discussion with colleagues and family, he will not be running to replace Boris Johnson as Conservative leader and the country’s next prime minister.Wallace was seen by some as the favorite choice among Conservative party members in what’s set to be a wide open leadership race following Johnson’s resignation announcement on Thursday. Johnson quit as party leader after months of insisting he would stay in the job despite mounting ethics scandals. He said he would stay on as prime minister until the party chooses his successor. Former chancellor Rishi Sunak, the best-known of the leadership contenders and regarded as the bookmakers’ favorite to win, launched his bid on Friday. Sunak resigned on Tuesday, kicking off a mass exodus of government officials that toppled Johnson. RecommendedAttorney General Suella Braverman, lawmaker Tom Tugendhat and former equalities minister Kemi Badenoch have also thrown their hat into the ring, and more announcements are expected over the coming days. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, Treasury chief Nadhim Zahawi and trade minister Penny Mordaunt are widely expected to run, as are former health secretaries Sajid Javid and Jeremy Hunt.Wallace said his decision wasn’t “an easy choice to make, but my focus is on my current job and keeping this great country safe.”Conservative party officials on Monday are expected to set out the timetable for a leadership contest, with the aim of having a winner by the end of the summer. The two-step process involves Tory lawmakers voting to reduce the field of candidates to two, who will go to a ballot of all party members.Johnson’s resignation marked the end of three tumultuous years that saw the divisive leader fend off numerous scandals and a Conservative leadership challenge. For months, he managed to cling on to power despite allegations that he protected supporters from bullying and corruption allegations, and that he misled Parliament about government office parties that broke COVID-19 lockdown rules.But his handling of allegations about a senior politician who had been accused of sexual misconduct proved the last straw for many Conservatives, who this week openly revolted and forced him out of office.Johnson remains in office to head a caretaker administration, but many Conservatives don’t want a lame-duck leader — especially amid a worsening cost-of-living crisis triggered by soaring food and energy prices.Recommended___Follow all AP stories on British politics at https://apnews.com/hub/boris-johnson. More

Who could replace Boris Johnson in the role of prime minister?
Education minister Andrea Jenkyns said she gave the middle finger gesture to a “baying mob” outside Downing Street but admitted she “should have shown more composure”.Ms Jenkyns, who made the sign with her hand as she walked through the black gates said in a statement that she “reached the end of my tether” and stood up for herself after being subject to “huge amounts of abuse” over the years, including death threats.Meanwhile, defence secretary Ben Wallace has ruled himself out of the Conservative Party leadership contest despite his status as favourite among the Tory grassroots.In a post on Twitter Mr Wallace said he was “grateful” to Tory MPs who pledged him support but he was ruling himself out of the race and wants to focus on his current role.And more than a dozen MPs have declared their support for former chancellor Rishi Sunak to become prime minister after Boris Johnson’s resignation.Former Tory Party co-chairman Oliver Dowden is among the seven MPs who have tweeted their support of Mr Sunak’s leadership bid using the hashtag #ready4rishi.Others who tweeted their support were Dr Liam Fox, Mark Harper, Paul Maynard, Sir Bob Neill, Mel Stride, and Jacob Young. Seven others are also backing Mr Sunak, according to reports, taking the total to at least 14.RecommendedShow latest update

1657377661Sunak ‘truly overwhelmed’ by supportRishi Sunak said he is “truly overwhelmed” by the support he has so far received from MPs in his bid for the Tory party leadership. Joe Middleton9 July 2022 15:411657376606Union leader unsatisfied with minister’s explanation for middle finger gestureGeoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, appeared to be less than satisfied with Andrea Jenkyns explanation for her middle finger gesture outside Downing Street.Without directly referencing her explanation, or the incident in question, he tweeted: “In my 32 years as a teacher, 15 of them as headteacher, I inevitably dealt with moments of poor behaviour and inappropriate conduct – from young people and staff.“I have to say, ‘I’m only human’ was never good enough as an excuse from any of them for any of it.”Joe Middleton9 July 2022 15:231657375687All the Tory MPs in the race to replace Boris Johnson as leader so farPotential successors have already begun throwing their hats into the ring to replace Boris Johnson as Tory leader after he announced his resignation.The outgoing prime minister finally accepted his time had come to step down on Thursday after more than 50 MPs resigned from government and party roles over his conduct.The MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip has been dogged by a string of scandals throughout his leadership since 2019, but the final nail in the coffin came after it emerged he promoted Tory MP Chris Pincher despite knowledge of sexual misconduct claims against him.Mr Johnson said he would be staying on as prime minister in a caretaker role until a new Conservative Party leader is announced by the autumn.The contest to succeed Mr Johnson has been described by one Tory politician as the “wacky races” – with up to 15 MPs announcing their candidates or preparing to launch a campaign..Click the link below to see all the Tory MPs who have so far launched leadership campaigns: More

Defence secretary Ben Wallace has ruled himself out of the Conservative Party leadership contest despite his status as a favourite among the Tory grassroots.One of the top contenders to replace Boris Johnson, Mr Wallace said he wanted to focus on his country job of “keeping this great country safe”.“After careful consideration and discussing with colleagues and family, I have taken the decision not to enter the contest for leadership of the Conservative Party,” Mr Wallace tweeted on Saturday.The cabinet minister added: “It has not been an easy choice to make, but my focus is on my current job and keeping this great country safe.”His withdrawal boosts the chances of early frontrunner Rishi Sunak, who announced his candidacy on Friday with a slick campaign video and promise not to make the “fairytale” tax cut promises some his rivals are expected to offer.Mr Wallace was widely viewed as a favourite among Tory members, who get to choose between the two final candidates, having topped several recent online ConservativeHome survies of the party’s grassroots.RecommendedThe defence secretary also beat all other contenders in a YouGov poll of Tory members earlier this week, though the small sample size of such polls has produced some contradictory results.An Opinium poll of Tory members for Channel 4 put Mr Sunak in front on 25 per cent, ahead of foreign secretary Liz Truss on 21 per cent, with Mr Wallace further back on 12 per cent. One MP who had backed Mr Wallace said he had picked up a lot of support from MPs who stayed in government and were uncomfortable with Mr Sunak’s “treachery”.The defence secretary had also picked support from several One Nation moderates, and had been considered by his backers as a leading “unity” candidate who could gain some support from the right of the party.Tories are rushing to take sides in the race to become the new prime minister after ex-chancellor Rishi Sunak declared he has set his sights on the top job.Former equalities minister Kemi Badenoch became the fourth candidate to throw her hat into the ring – promising tax cuts and declaring her opposition “identity politics”.Tom Tugendhat, a moderate from the “one nation” wing, and attorney general Suella Braverman have both picked up several endorsements after launching their campaigns.Mr Sunak has come under fire from Johnson loyalists even before the launch, with Brexit minister Jacob Rees-Mogg denouncing him as a “high tax chancellor” who failed to curb inflation.Steve Baker, who has dropped his own ambitions to be leader and backed attorney general Suella Braverman, claimed Mr Sunak is in an “unfortunate bind” as he has got to “double down” on his own economic policy to date.One top No 10 official told the Financial Times that Mr Sunak was “a treacherous b*****d”. A Johnson loyalist in the cabinet told the newspaper: “Rishi will get everything he deserves for leading the charge in bringing down the prime minister.” Jake Berry, leader of the Northern Research Group (NRG) representing MPs in the north of England, ruled out a leadership bid – saying he would now push others to fulfil the “levelling up” agenda.Meanwhile, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, 1922 Committee treasurer, said rules could be changed to thin down the crowded field and speed up the process.“Clearly what we would want to do, and I think even the candidates would admit this is, is to eliminate some of those that are clearly not going to get enough support to get in the last two at a relatively early stage,” said Sir Geoffrey.Mr Clifton-Brown said this could be done by upping the number of signatures from other Conservative lawmakers required to be nominated – and by increasing the threshold of votes candidates must receive to progress to the next round.Senior Tory MP Sir Charles Walker said leadership hopefuls who have “no hope” of winning should drop out now, with around 12 MPs announcing their candidacy or considering a bid to be leader.RecommendedTo take part, candidates need eight nominations. Candidates must then get 5 per cent of the votes to stay in the running – 18 votes – during the first round. They must get 10 per cent, 36 MPs, in the second round.The candidate with the fewest votes is the eliminated until two candidates remain, a process expected to be done by 21 July. But Sir Charles said rules could be changed so that candidates would have to get a higher level of support at each round to pass. More

Who could replace Boris Johnson in the role of prime minister?
Education minister Andrea Jenkyns said she gave the middle finger gesture to a “baying mob” outside Downing Street but admitted she “should have shown more composure”.Ms Jenkyns, who made the sign with her hand as she walked through the black gates said in a statement that she “reached the end of my tether” and stood up for herself after being subject to “huge amounts of abuse” over the years, including death threats.Meanwhile, defence secretary Ben Wallace has ruled himself out of the Conservative Party leadership contest despite his status as favourite among the Tory grassroots.In a post on Twitter Mr Wallace said he was “grateful” to Tory MPs who pledged him support but he was ruling himself out of the race and wants to focus on his current role.And more than a dozen MPs have declared their support for former chancellor Rishi Sunak to become prime minister after Boris Johnson’s resignation.Former Tory Party co-chairman Oliver Dowden is among the seven MPs who have tweeted their support of Mr Sunak’s leadership bid using the hashtag #ready4rishi.Others who tweeted their support were Dr Liam Fox, Mark Harper, Paul Maynard, Sir Bob Neill, Mel Stride, and Jacob Young. Seven others are also backing Mr Sunak, according to reports, taking the total to at least 14.RecommendedShow latest update

1657377661Sunak ‘truly overwhelmed’ by supportRishi Sunak said he is “truly overwhelmed” by the support he has so far received from MPs in his bid for the Tory party leadership. Joe Middleton9 July 2022 15:411657376606Union leader unsatisfied with minister’s explanation for middle finger gestureGeoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, appeared to be less than satisfied with Andrea Jenkyns explanation for her middle finger gesture outside Downing Street.Without directly referencing her explanation, or the incident in question, he tweeted: “In my 32 years as a teacher, 15 of them as headteacher, I inevitably dealt with moments of poor behaviour and inappropriate conduct – from young people and staff.“I have to say, ‘I’m only human’ was never good enough as an excuse from any of them for any of it.”Joe Middleton9 July 2022 15:231657375687All the Tory MPs in the race to replace Boris Johnson as leader so farPotential successors have already begun throwing their hats into the ring to replace Boris Johnson as Tory leader after he announced his resignation.The outgoing prime minister finally accepted his time had come to step down on Thursday after more than 50 MPs resigned from government and party roles over his conduct.The MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip has been dogged by a string of scandals throughout his leadership since 2019, but the final nail in the coffin came after it emerged he promoted Tory MP Chris Pincher despite knowledge of sexual misconduct claims against him.Mr Johnson said he would be staying on as prime minister in a caretaker role until a new Conservative Party leader is announced by the autumn.The contest to succeed Mr Johnson has been described by one Tory politician as the “wacky races” – with up to 15 MPs announcing their candidates or preparing to launch a campaign..Click the link below to see all the Tory MPs who have so far launched leadership campaigns: More

Newly-appointed education minister Andrea Jenkyns should “justify” her actions after making a rude gesture to a crowd outside Downing Street, the Tory Commons leader has said.Mr Jenkyns was caught on camera giving the middle finger to protesters as she walked through the gates in the wake of Boris Johnson’s downfall on Thursday.Senior Tory MP Mark Spencer, the Commons leader and former chief whip, said he does not believe the gesture was “the right thing to do at all”.Asked if it is acceptable, he told BBC Breakfast: “No, I don’t think it is, to be honest. I don’t seek to condone that at all.”Mr Spencer added: “Andrea will have to … justify that for herself. But I do understand emotions were running pretty high and they were pretty raw on that day. But I don’t think that was the right thing to do at all.”Pressed on whether Mr Jenkyns should retain her new role, amid the ministerial merry-go-round of the past few days, the Commons leader said: “That’s not my decision.”RecommendedMs Jenkyns later tweeted an explanation for her actions, saying she had “reached the end of my tether” and “stood up for myself”. She was appointed to the role of parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Department for Education on Friday in a reshuffle by Mr Johnson.The footage, shared on social media on Thursday evening, appears to have been filmed just before Mr Johnson announced he was stepping down as leader.Tory MP George Freeman, who quit as science minister this week, tweeted: “I’m sorry but this is appalling conduct for a Minister of the Crown.”Labour’s shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson tweeted: “Ministers aren’t expected to be perfect. But is it really too much to ask that they don’t treat the public like this?”Meanwhile, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, treasurer of the 1922 Committee, has criticised Johnson loyalist Nadine Dorries’ comments about the leadership race.The culture secretary, reportedly considering her own bid to keep Boris Johnson’s flame alive, claimed that the contest had unleashed the “hounds of hell”.Sir Geoffrey told Times Radio: “I think it’s not helpful … However, we do this process we do want to unite the Conservative Party behind a candidate.”On the timeframe for finding a leader, Sir Geoffrey confirmed that the candidates should be whittled down to two by summer recess on 21 July.The 1922 Committee treasurer also said rules could be changed to thin down the crowded field and speed up the process.“Clearly what we would want to do, and I think even the candidates would admit this is, is to eliminate some of those that are clearly not going to get enough support to get in the last two at a relatively early stage,” said Sir Geoffrey.Mr Clifton-Brown said this could be done by upping the number of signatures from other Conservative lawmakers required to be nominated – and by increasing the threshold of votes candidates must receive to progress to the next round.Tories are rushing to take sides in the race to become the new prime minister after ex-chancellor Rishi Sunak declared he has set his sights on the top job.Former equalities minister Kemi Badenoch became the fourth candidate to throw her hat into the ring – promising tax cuts and declaring her opposition “identity politics”.RecommendedTom Tugendhat, a moderate from the “one nation” wing, and attorney general Suella Braverman have both picked up several endorsements after launching their campaigns.Senior Tory MP Sir Charles Walker said earlier that leadership hopefuls who have “no hope” of winning should drop out now and help slim down the field, with up to 15 MPs announcing their candidates or preparing to launch a campaign. More

Tory leadership candidate Tom Tugendhat has made his first pitch to Scottish Tory members, stressing the need for “serious and tested leadership” for the party to be successful in Scotland.The MP, who this week put himself forward to replace the beleaguered Boris Johnson as Prime Minister, said the party required a “fresh start” after the dramatic exit of the former leader.Mr Tugendhat is thought to have support among Scottish Tory MSPs, with chief whip Stephen Kerr and North East representative Douglas Lumsden having publicly declared their desire to see the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee chairman take over.Writing in The Times on Saturday, Mr Tugendhat said the party is the only one that voters can “trust to unequivocally stand up for the union and Scotland’s role within it”.He added: “If we are to defeat Labour and the SNP-Green coalition, our party will need a fresh start under serious and tested leadership. I have put my name forward to lead the Conservative Party to help deliver that fresh start.”RecommendedMr Tugendhat continued: “We must act now to restore trust and repair integrity in British politics; the challenges we face at home and abroad require sober leadership.“A clean slate is an opportunity to restore this integrity to our politics.”The party has been on the rise in Scotland in the past decade, overtaking Labour at the 2016 Holyrood election, but the party lost ground in May’s local elections with senior figures blaming the partygate saga for a drop in votes and return to third place.The MP, who was elected in 2015, will face stiff competition from former ministers including the recently-resigned Rishi Sunak and Attorney General Suella Braverman in the contest, with the field expected to widen in the coming days.Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is widely expected to announce her candidacy, and has already received support from MPs. More