UK Politics

Watch: Boris Johnson’s government wins confidence with 349 votesConservative leadership candidate Liz Truss’ plan to bring in immediate tax cuts is likely to push up prices and risks a return to 1970s-style inflation, top economists have warned.The foreign secretary has pledged to bring in tax cuts of at least £30bn if she becomes prime minister, claiming on Thursday: “My tax cuts will decrease inflation.”Dr Jo Michell, associate professor of Economics at UWE Bristol, told The Independent that Ms Truss was wrong to claim tax cuts would bring in inflation down.“The tax cuts she’s proposing are more likely to be inflationary, so on balance of probability her comments are false,” he said. “It’s certainly a gamble – saying the plan has no risk [of increasing inflation] is ridiculous.”Meanwhile, the former chancellor declared himself a Thatcherite. The pair tried to win over the support of local politicians today when they participated in the private hustings for the Conservative Councillors’ Association.RecommendedShow latest update

1658413780Northern Ireland Secretary declines to say whether he’s backing Truss or SunakNorthern Ireland Secretary Shailesh Vara has declined to say whether he is backing Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss to be the next leader of the Conservative Party.Speaking to media in Lisburn, Co Antrim, Mr Vara said he believes they are “both excellent candidates”.“Whoever is the ultimate winner will, I’m sure, serve the United Kingdom very well,” he said.“With both of them I have raised the issue of Northern Ireland and the importance that they place upon the people here and they have made it absolutely clear to me that Northern Ireland is uppermost there and they want to make sure that they get the Executive up and running and that we can move forward so that Northern Ireland, along with the rest of the United Kingdom, benefits from everything that is going in terms of economic development and prosperity.”Thomas Kingsley21 July 2022 15:291658412428Watch: Boris Johnson’s highs and lows as prime ministerBoris Johnson’s highs and lows as prime ministerThomas Kingsley21 July 2022 15:071658411350Liz Truss tax cuts policy ‘ridiculous’ and risks 1970s-style inflation, economists warnConservative leadership candidate Liz Truss’ plan to bring in immediate tax cuts is likely to push up prices and risks a return to 1970s-style inflation, top economists have warned.The foreign secretary has pledged to bring in tax cuts of at least £30bn if she becomes prime minister, claiming on Thursday: “My tax cuts will decrease inflation.”Vowing to take on Treasury “orthodoxy” and the economic consensus, the new favourite in the Tory contest insisted that her plan to cut taxes was “not a gamble” and would not drive up soaring inflation even further.However, Dr Jo Michell, associate professor of Economics at UWE Bristol, told The Independent that Ms Truss was wrong to claim tax cuts would bring in inflation down.Read more on this story from our political correspondent, Adam Forrest: More

Conservative leadership frontrunner Liz Truss has denied that she has been modelling herself on former prime minister Margaret Thatcher. The foreign secretary suggested comparisons to the former Tory leader were sexist and said it was “frustrating that female politicians always get compared to Margaret Thatcher”.She was questioned about the comparisons in interviews on Thursday after some noted similarities between her outfit at the first Tory leadership debate and a look worn by Margaret Thatcher in 1979.The foreign secretary, who took part in the Channel 4 event last week, opted for a black blazer over a white blouse featuring a bow tie detail across the neck.Thatcher wore a strikingly similar outfit at the time made up of a white blouse that tied in a large bow at the neck, under a black blazer.RecommendedOne tweet, which garnered more than 17,500 likes, said: “Liz Truss has recreated Margaret Thatcher’s appearance from her 1979 election broadcast down to the last detail.” More

Boris Johnson could face a recall petition which could trigger a by-election if he is suspended by MPs investigating whether he lied over Partygate, the Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle confirmed. The Privileges Committee examining whether the prime minister mislead parliament has set out the terms of their inquiry, insisting the probe will go ahead despite his resignation.The Speaker confirmed that the committee’s findings – if they deem Mr Johnson worthy of suspension – would fall within the remit of the Recall of MPs Act, following advice from a leading lawyer.The committee said Sir Lindsay ruled that the “any suspension of the requisite length (ten sitting days or fourteen calendar days) following on from a report from that committee will attract the provisions of the Recall of MPs Act”.A recall petition would mean Mr Johnson’s constituents in Uxbridge and South Ruislip could trigger a special election to remove him before the next general election.RecommendedFor any recall petition to be successful it requires 10 per cent of registered voters in a constituency to sign the petition. The committee suggested one could be set up in the “hypothetical” scenario that Mr Johnson is suspended for 10 days.If the 10 per cent threshold is reached then the seat becomes vacant and a by-election is then required – but the recalled MP may stand again as a candidate.The Privileges Committee unanimously backed Labour grandee Harriet Harman to chair the investigation that could determine Mr Johnson’s legacy. The cross-party committee has insisted its investigation will still go ahead, despite Mr Johnson’s resignation as Tory leader and his expected departure from No 10 in early September.Its report published on Thursday said that “some have suggested” the inquiry is no longer necessary. “Our inquiry, however, is into the question of whether the House was misled, and political developments are of no relevance to that.”The group of senior MPs added: “The House charged the committee with this task and we are obliged to continue with it.”The committee confirmed that staff will be able to give anonymous evidence on parties in No 10 and Whitehall suggesting whether or not Mr Johnson lied to parliament during the saga.The MPs vowed to protect anonymous whistle-blowers who wish to submit evidence as “some witnesses may only be willing to give evidence if their identity is not made public”.A report published by the committee on Wednesday also said that when considering the allegations against Mr Johnson, the standard of proof will be “on the balance of probabilities”.Johnson’s defenders have questioned whether he “deliberately” or “knowingly” misled parliament during the Partygate saga. But the committee made clear that such commentary is not relevant.A memo in the report on determining whether Mr Johnson had been in contempt of parliament, stated: “It is for the committee and the House to determine whether a contempt has occurred and the intention of the contemnor is not relevant to making that decision.”The committee said it expects oral evidence sessions to begin in the autumn, meaning the inquiry will hang over Mr Johnson’s head for months, even after he departs No 10 and returns to the backbenches.RecommendedDowning Street last month disowned allies’ claims that the parliamentary inquiry into his Partygate statements will be a “kangaroo court” – insisting that Mr Johnson trusts the cross-party committee to deliver a fair verdict.Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer this week called the outgoing PM a “complete bulls***er” who had “taken the p***” out of people over Partygate. More

The race is on for the keys to 10 Downing Street after the Tory leadership contenders were whittled down to the final two – Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss.And we want to know who you think will become Tory leader and subsequently the UK’s next prime minister – in our reader poll. Scroll down to vote.On Wednesday, Penny Mordaunt was eliminated after a closely fought fifth round of voting saw her miss out on second place to Ms Truss by just eight votes.Former chancellor Mr Sunak scooped 137 votes, Ms Truss 113 and Ms Mordaunt 105.It’s been a fast-paced week of voting with Tom Tugendhat and Kemi Badenoch taking fifth and fourth place respectively after a weekend which saw two televised leadership debates.RecommendedNow Mr Sunak and Ms Truss will go head-to-head to win votes from an estimated 160,000 Conservative members, before the winner is announced on Monday 5 September. Whoever becomes Tory leader will then replace Boris Johnson as prime minister.This is the third reader poll since Mr Johnson stepped down. In the first one, Independent readers said Mr Tugendhat should replace him. When voting on the final five, readers predicted Ms Mourdant would win.In the previous poll, some readers were disappointed there was not an option to select ‘Don’t care’, so we have included it this time.Once you have voted, feel free to let us know which option you picked and why, in the comments below.Then check back for a write up of the results of the poll.Take part in our reader poll by voting below.RecommendedWhat other topics would you like to see us run a reader poll on? Let us know in the comments below. More

Conservative leadership hopeful Liz Truss has claimed that the unresolved row with the EU over the Northern Ireland Protocol shows how she “gets stuff done”.The foreign secretary pointed to the current dispute over Brexit as an example of her delivery – despite her failure to reach a deal with Brussels on after several months of negotiations.“I’ve shown I can get things done,’ she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “Whether it’s sorting out the issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol to make sure we deliver the full opportunities of Brexit, I can get stuff done.”In her first full interview of the campaign, Ms Truss also shared her regret over her backing the Leave campaign in 2016 and claimed Brexit had been a success. “I fully embraced the choice the people of Britain made,” she said.Reminded that she had predicted that Brexit would mean less trade, slashed investment and fewer jobs, Truss replied: “I was wrong and I’m fully prepared to admit I was wrong.”The foreign secretary added: “The portents of doom didn’t happen. Instead, we’ve unleashed new opportunities. And I was one of the leading figures driving those opportunities.”RecommendedMs Truss’s attempt to tear up parts of the Brexit withdrawal deal in defiance of the EU have moved closer to becoming law, after the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill cleared the Commons on Wednesday night.But peers are expected to contest parts of the Bill, and leading figures in Brussels have warned in recent days that it could put the UK and the EU on course for a trade war.Truss – the bookmakers’ favourite to be the next PM – also said she would “bulldoze” down opposition to her ideas and “take on the Whitehall machine”, as she positioned herself as more radical than rival Rishi Sunak.“I think every day when I get up in the morning, ‘What can I do to change things?’” she said. “I’m impelled to do that. I am pretty hard working, pretty direct. And I will bulldoze through, frankly, the things that need to get done.”Defending her plan to cut taxes immediately, Ms Truss also pledged to wage an ongoing battle the Treasury if she makes to No 10. “The Treasury do have an economic orthodoxy. They do resist change.”The foreign secretary said Sunak had pushed Britain in the “wrong direction” on taxation, and she would swiftly axe his National Insurance rise if she becomes PM.She admitted her plan to cut taxes would cost at least over £30bn a year. About if it would cost about £38bn, as some have estimated, Truss said: “I’d say that’s slightly high but it’s around that figure”But she insisted tax cuts would boost growth, and rejected widespread warnings that her cuts would fuel inflation. “My tax cuts will decrease inflation … It’s not a gamble.”Asked to name the leading economists who agreed with her approach to tax, she named the right-wing Brexiteer Patrick Minford.Ms Truss also denied modelling herself on Margaret Thatcher. “I don’t accept that. I’m my own person. I’m from a different background.”The Tory hopeful defended her backing for the Liberal Democrats as a student, saying her political views had “developed” over the years.She also defended her loyalty to Boris Johnson in a later interview, telling GB News she wanted him to stay “Boris admitted he made mistakes,” she also told Today. “But the positive side of the balance sheet is extremely positive.”Truss said she would be happy to serve under Sunak if he wins the Tory leadership contest. She also hinted at jobs for Sunak and rivals if she wins the race to No 10.“We’ve had fantastic candidates present themselves, like Penny, Kemi, Tom Tugendhat and Rishi, and we need to make sure that those talents are being fully used,” she told GB News.RecommendedTruss and Sunak will try to win over the support of local politicians on Thursday morning when they take part in a private hustings for the Conservative Councillors’ Association.They will then tour the UK to take part in 12 hustings for the Tory members who will vote for their next leader, with the result being announced on 5 September. More

The two candidates to become Britain’s next prime minister began a head-to-head battle on Thursday for the votes of Conservative Party members who will choose the country’s new leader.Former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is promising fiscal prudence, while Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is offering immediate tax cuts to the right-of-center governing party, which is divided and demoralized after three turbulent years under departing Prime Minister Boris Johnson.Sunak and Truss were chosen Wednesday by Conservative lawmakers, from an initial field of 11, as finalists to replace Johnson, who quit as party leader on July 7 after months of ethics scandals. He remains prime minister until his successor is chosen. The result of the party leadership contest is due on Sept. 5.Only about 180,000 Conservative Party members have a vote in choosing the country’s next leader. The rest of the U.K.’s 67 million people must watch the campaign from the sidelines, as the candidates spar in televised debates and party meetings — against a backdrop of soaring prices, growing climate extremes and war in Ukraine.The winner of the Conservative contest will not have to face British voters until 2024, unless he or she chooses to call an early general election.RecommendedOddsmakers say the favorite is Truss, who has led the U.K.’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and is running as a low-tax, small-state conservative in the mold of Margaret Thatcher.In interviews Thursday, Truss said she had the “toughness” and “grit” to lead the country in troubled times.“We are in very difficult times. We need to be bold,” she told the BBC. “We cannot have business as usual for the challenge we face.”Sunak, who steered Britain’s economy through the pandemic before quitting Johnson’s government this month, also claims to wear the mantle of Thatcher, whose free-market policies transformed Britain’s economy in the 1980s. Sunak argues it would be irresponsible to slash taxes before getting inflation under control. He won the vote among party lawmakers, but his role as Britain’s chief taxman may go down less well with the Tory grassroots.Lawmaker Robert Jenrick, a Sunak supporter, said “it is the antithesis of Thatcherism to be going around making unfunded tax pledges merely to win a leadership contest.”Sunak also faces open hostility from allies of Johnson, who consider him a turncoat for quitting the government early this month, a move that helped bring down the prime minister.Johnson clung to office through months of scandals over his finances and his judgment, refusing to resign when he was fined by police over government parties that broke COVID-19 lockdown rules. He finally quit after one scandal too many — appointing a politician accused of sexual misconduct — drove his ministers to resign en masse.Recommended___Follow all of AP’s coverage of British politics at https://apnews.com/hub/boris-johnson More

Liz Truss has vowed to bring in an emergency budget to cut taxes, as the new favourite in the Tory leadership favourite criticised Rishi Sunak’s record as chancellor.The foreign secretary said Mr Sunak had pushed Britain in the “wrong direction” on taxation, and she would swiftly axe his National Insurance rise if she becomes prime minister.Mr Sunak has made his own pitch to win over the membership who will crown the winner by arguing he was the “only one” who could beat Keir Starmer’s Labour party and win an election.He also insisted he “will govern as a Thatcherite” after facing repeated criticism from the Tory right for wanting to hold off on tax cuts until after inflation is under control.Tory MPs chose the final two candidates to enter the run-off stage decided by Tory members, as trade minister Penny Mordaunt was eliminated when she came third behind Ms Truss by eight votes.Mr Sunak won 137 votes to Ms Truss’s 113. But bookmakers make the foreign secretary the the frontrunner, with early indications suggesting she is more popular with Tory members.RecommendedThe pair will try to win over the support of local politicians on Thursday morning when they take part in a private hustings for the Conservative Councillors’ Association.They will then tour the UK to take part in 12 hustings for the Tory members who will vote for their next leader, with the result being announced on 5 September.Mr Sunak claimed Ms Truss would not be able to win a general election. “Who is the best person to beat Keir Starmer and the Labour Party at the next election?” he said. “I believe I’m the only candidate who can do that.”Mr Sunak – who has warned against “fairytale” promises – will reportedly set out plans to cut taxes in the “medium term” after inflation begins to fall.Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Mr Sunak insisted he “will govern as a Thatcherite” but tried to dial down the bitter attacks that have dogged the Westminster leg of the contest, saying Ms Truss is someone “I like and respect”.But in a sign the “blue on blue” attacks would remain, Sunak backer Robert Jenrick pointedly said that his candidate was “never a member of the Lib Dems” – a reference to the former party allegiance of Ms Truss.Mr Jenrick, the former housing minister who will be hoping for a return to cabinet, also told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “It is the antithesis of Thatcherism to be going around making unfunded tax pledges merely to win a leadership contest.”In her own pitch in the Daily Mail, Ms Truss vowed to “hit the ground running by immediately cutting taxes, growing our economy and unleashing the potential of everyone”.And she attacked the government’s tax record, which was overseen by Mr Sunak until he resigned, triggering Mr Johnson’s ultimate downfall.“We have been going in the wrong direction on tax, with the tax burden at its highest in 70 years,” she wrote. “I will move to bring in an emergency budget to get on with doing this quickly, and announce a spending review to find more efficiencies in government spending.”Tory polling guru Lord Hayward said he “genuinely” couldn’t call the race. “At the moment there is no question Liz Truss is the favourite,” he told Sky News. “But those polls [of members] have fluctuated quite dramatically.He added: “That says there a lot of people out there who haven’t decided, who haven’t got firm views one way or another.”Boris Johnson has not publicly backed any of the candidates to replace him, but his most loyal allies have come out for Ms Truss. And in his final PMQs, he took a swipe at Mr Sunak, his former chancellor.Mr Johnson said: “Cut taxes and deregulate wherever you can and make this the greatest place to live and invest, which it is.”RecommendedFormer No 10 strategist Dominic Cummings claimed the PM quietly supported Truss’ campaign because he “knows she’s mad and thinks she’ll blow and he can make a comeback”.Cummings said his former boss’s immediate priority was stopping Sunak. But he added: “He knows Truss is mad as a box of snakes and is thinking, ‘There’s a chance she blows, there’s another contest and I can return’.” More