UK Politics

Home secretary Priti Patel has ruled out a late bid for the Conservative leadership after her closest rivals absorbed much of the support from the right of the party.Allies of foreign secretary Liz Truss and attorney general Suella Braverman had been urging Ms Patel not to enter the crowded field and split the right – warning it could gift rontrunner Rishi Sunak a “coronation”.Ms Patel said she had been urged to stand by her colleagues, but had decided instead to focus on “working to get more police on our streets” and “control our borders”.In a statement, she said: “I am grateful for the encouragement and support colleagues and party members have offered me in recent days in suggesting that I enter the contest for the leadership of the Conservative Party. I will not be putting my name forward for the ballot of MPs.”The home secretary, who win now be a prized endorsement for those on the right, did not say who she would back – but said she would be “listening to cases being put forward”.RecommendedMr Sunak formally launched his bid to become prime minister earlier on Tuesday with a pledge to cut taxes, but only after inflation has been brought back under control. Tax cuts were “a question of when, not if”, he claimed.Boris 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, that again is proper conservativism”, while Ms Dorries said Ms Truss – who voted Remain in the 2016 referendum – is probably a “stronger Brexiteer than both of us”.Allies of Ms Truss had warned Ms Patel not to jump into the race on Tuesday, with one telling the Daily Mail: “If the right don’t want Rishi Sunak to be prime minister then they need to unite behind a single candidate and that candidate is Liz.”There were reportedly discussions between Ms Patel and Ms Braverman’s teams about which candidate could unite the Brexiteer, tax-cut backing right, but the attorney general has pushed defiantly on with her own bid to be PM.An ally of Ms Braverman, asked if she would considered withdrawing to united the right behind someone else, told The Independent: “She absolutely won’t.”The home secretary made a last-ditch appeal to the European Research Group (ERG) of Brexiteer Tory MPs on Monday night, reportedly vowing to cut taxes, ditch green levies and start fracking.But by Tuesday lunchtime she had the formal backing of only around a dozen MP, well short of the 20 now required to get through the first stage of the contest.Kemi Badenoch, with her anti-woke attacks on “identity politics”, is another contender poised to pick up some support from those who would have backed Ms Patel.However, the former equalities minister said she refused to enter a “tax bidding war” with her competitors, arguing that candidates should level with the public over the measures needed to stabilise the economy.Kemi Badenoch launches Tory leadership campaignMs Badenoch also said she would tackle the economic crisis by cutting spending on international aid, and “superfluous” activities at univerities, including well-being officers and diversity “tick-box exercises”.She also appealed to net zero sceptics in the party by has branding the landmark climate target “unilateral economic disarmament” and vowed to axe it if elected.Senior Tory MP Steve Baker – founder of the Net Zero Scrutiny Group of backbenchers, who is backing Ms Braverman – has suggested that he would push for the next PM to dismantle the government’s climate agenda.Tory peer Zac Goldsmith told The Independent it would be better to have a Labour government than a leader who “deprioritises” action on net zero.Lord Goldsmith 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.”It came as Grant Shapps pulled out of the race and backed Mr Sunak to be the next PM. Dominic Raab also endorsed the frontrunner.Former health secretary Matt Hancock backed Mr Sunak for the leadership in a Twitter video, saying his former colleague had “the character and the experience” to win the next election.Meanwhile, an ally of Ms Patel, lobbyist Patrick Robertson, had admitted sharing a “dirty dossier” on WhatsApp about Mr Sunak – but insisted he hadn’t written the memo.RecommendedIn order to stand, a candidate will need the support of 20 MPs by this evening. The first ballot of MPs will then 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

Graham Brady confirms new prime minister will be revealed on 5 SeptemberPriti Patel has ruled out a last-minute bid to replace Boris Johnson as prime minister, just hours before a 6pm deadline for leadership hopefuls to secure the required backing of 20 MPs.The home secretary was described as being genuinely torn over whether to run, having reportedly received a “good reception” from Brexiteer Tories in the European Research Group on Monday night after vowing she would cut taxes, ditch green levies and start fracking.Meanwhile, transport secretary Grant Shapps has pulled out of the race and has instead backed Rishi Sunak to be the next Tory leader, with justice secretary Dominic Raab also appearing onstage at the former chancellor’s campaign launch to declare him a “true Conservative”.It came as Tory former prime minister Sir John Major criticised Cabinet ministers for failing to speak out against Mr Johnson and doing so “only when their silence became self-damaging”.Appearing before a House of Commons committee, the former Tory prime minister said the government had “broken the law” and risked “pulling our constitution into shreds” – but warned ministers were “culpable too”.RecommendedShow latest update

1657637623Key dates in the Tory leadership raceHere is a timetable for the leadership contest.Tuesday July 12: Nominations open and close. In order to stand, a candidate will need the support of at least 20 MPs – potentially making it harder for some of the less well-known contenders to make it onto the ballot paper. As of this afternoon, 10 candidates were running for the top job.Wednesday July 13: First ballot. Any candidate who fails to get at least 30 votes is expected to drop out.The previous Tory leadership contest in 2019, which had 10 candidates, saw a first ballot threshold of just 17 votes required, with the greater number this time around perhaps reflecting a desire to more quickly whittle down contenders.Thursday July 14: Second ballot. A second ballot will follow on Thursday with further ballots to be held next week until the list of candidates is reduced to a final two – who will then go forward into a postal ballot of party members.Bob Blackman, joint-executive secretary of the 1922 Committee, said the aim was to have the contest down to a final two before the start of MPs’ summer holidays.Friday July 15: First debate. Channel 4 will hold the first televised Tory leadership debate with the remaining candidates at 7pm.Sunday July 17: Second debate. ITV will host a TV debate at 7pm.Monday July 18: Third debate. Sky News is scheduled to host another debate the following night, hosted by Kay Burley.Friday July 22 onwards: Hustings are to take place around the country over the summer to help party members determine their choice for the new Conservative leader. Mr Blackman said it is a “condition of nomination” for candidates to agree that they will contest the ballot of party members if they reach the final two. This is to avoid a situation as in 2016, when Dame Andrea Leadsom dropped out, handing the leadership unchallenged to Theresa May before party members were given the opportunity to vote.Monday September 5: New Conservative leader announced. The new prime minister will be announced when MPs return to Westminster from their summer break.PA12 July 2022 15:531657636643Watch: Starmer says Labour must remove ‘intolerable’ Boris JohnsonHere is more from Sir Keir Starmer on Labour’s motion of confidence in Boris Johnson’s government.Keir Starmer says Labour must step up and remove ‘intolerable’ Boris JohnsonAndy Gregory12 July 2022 15:371657636525Tom Tugendhat’s nomination papers handed to 1922 CommitteeTory MP Aaron Bell has handed in the nomination papers for Tom Tugendhat’s leadership bid to the 1922 Committee chair Sir Graham Brady, indicating he had the support of the 20 MPs required to go into the contest.“Tom is now the first candidate to be duly nominated,” Mr Bell said.Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt have also reportedly received the public backing of the required number of MPs.Andy Gregory12 July 2022 15:351657636414Channel 4 to host Tory leadership debate on FridayChannel 4 has announced it will hold a Tory leadership debate with the remaining candidates on Friday at 7pm.It is the third televised debate to be announced. ITV will also host one on Sunday at 7pm, while another will be aired on Sky News on Monday. Andy Gregory12 July 2022 15:331657635427Matt Hancock announces support for Rishi Sunak – on Matt Hancock appFormer health secretary Matt Hancock has given his backing to Rishi Sunak, saying: “I know all of the candidates … and I think Rishi Sunak is the best-placed of all of them to take this country through difficult times.”The delivery of his support sparked some amusement as it emerged that Mr Hancock had first made the announcement on his Matt Hancock MP app.Andy Gregory12 July 2022 15:171657633380Liz Truss reaches threshold of support needed to appear on ballotLiz Truss has become the fourth contender to publicly reach the threshold of 20 nominations from Tory MPs in order to make the next round of the leadership contest, in addition to Rishi Sunak, Penny Mordaunt and Tom Tugendhat.She hit the target as two MPs who had previously backed Grant Shapps, who ended his campaign to throw his weight behind Mr Sunak, gave her their supportOne of them, Peterborough MP Paul Bristow, tweeted: “We need a leader who is proven to deliver. trussliz has that record and experience. She is best placed to unite our party and deliver for our country”.Andy Gregory12 July 2022 14:431657632264Starmer ‘challenges Tories to put constituents first’ with confidence voteOutlining Labour’s motion for a no confidence vote, Sir Keir Starmer said he was challenging Tory MPs to “put their constituents first”.“The Tory party has at last concluded that the prime minister is unfit for office, that was blindingly obvious a very, very long time ago. He is leaving because his own party has concluded that he can’t be trusted,” he said.“They can’t now let him cling on for weeks, and weeks, and weeks until September 5. It would be intolerable for the country. Since the Tories have failed to act in the national interest, Labour will.“We have put down a vote of no confidence, and challenged any Tory MP who in the last few days has said ‘I can’t serve Boris Johnson because you can’t trust a word the man says’, ‘I can’t go on the media because the lines he gives us always unravel’.“Can they really vote to say he should stay in power for another few weeks? We’re challenging them to put their constituents first, and put the country first.”Andy Gregory12 July 2022 14:241657630988Priti Patel rules out bid for Tory leadership as rivals absorb right-wing backingPriti Patel has ruled out a late bid for the Conservative leadership after her rivals absorbed much of the support from the right of the party.The home secretary is reported to have been “genuinely torn” last night over whether to launch her own leadership bid, following a last-ditch appeal to the European Research Group (ERG) of Brexiteer Tory MPs as she sought to secure their support.According to the Daily Telegraph, Ms Patel had vowed to cut taxes, ditch green levies and start fracking, and warned the UK is “quite frankly in one hell of a hole” of rocketing inflation, adding: “No one in the party has gripped this and it must be the priority for our party.”One ERG source told the paper that Ms Patel “got a good reception”, while another said: “She is on the same page. They all agreed with her.”Our political correspondent Adam Forrest has the breaking story here, which you can refresh for updates: More

Tory leadership contender Kemi Badenoch has branded the net zero climate target “unilateral economic disarmament” and vowed to axe it if elected.The outsider but rising star took aim at existing government policies which “have overburdened our economy” and which “consume taxpayers hard-earned money”.“Too many policies, like net zero targets, set up with no thought to the effects on industries in the poorer parts of this country,” Ms Badenoch told her campaign launch.“The consequence is simply to displace emissions to other countries – unilateral economic disarmament. That is why we need to change and that is why I’m running to be leader.”The comments are the starkest repudiation yet of the net zero commitment, in a leadership race that has alarmed the band of Conservative MPs passionate about it.RecommendedSuella Braverman, who is also vowing to be the candidate of the right, has also attacked the policy – while frontrunner Rishi Sunak has failed to mention it, having thwarted spending while chancellor.Ms Badenoch also took aim at businesses whose “main priority is social justice, not productivity and profits”, calling it a “Ben & Jerry’s tendency”.And doubling down on her opposition to the Online Harms Bill, she insisted the police should focus on crime and “not worrying about hurt feelings online”.Ms Badenoch, who has the backing of Tory big-hitter Michael Gove, also took aim at candidates who have promised massive tax cuts, most notably Sajid Javid and Nadhim Zahawi.“I will not enter into a tax bidding war and say my tax cuts are bigger than yours,” she promised. “The dividing line in this race is not tax cuts, it’s judgment.“It’s time to tell the truth. For too long politicians have been saying you can have it all – you can have your cake and eat it. But I’m here to tell you that’s not the case.”“Governing involves trade-offs and you need to be honest about that,” she said, arguing the public is “crying out for honesty” from the next prime minister, a quality she would bring.Ms Badenoch currently has 16 declared backers, putting her well on the way to the 20 required to enter the leadership contest when nominations close this evening.The first ballot among the 359 Conservative MPs will be staged on Wednesday, when candidates will need 30 votes to progress through to the second ballot on Thursday.RecommendedMore votes will be held next week, to whittle down the hopefuls 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. More

Conservative leadership hopeful Tom Tugendhat has pitched himself at the candidate who will save Boris Johnson’s “levelling up” agenda with an appeal to Tory MPs and members in the north and Midlands.Mr Tugendhat, who reached the 20 endorsements needed to reach the next stage of the contest, has support from Jake Berry and other leading figures in the Northern Research Group (NRG) of backbenchers.“My friend Jake Berry speaks about wanting a vocational Oxbridge in the North – I want one in every region,” the moderate told supporters at his official launch.Promising to invest in a series of vocational education centres, he said: “I will commit to creating new Institutes of Technology across every major town and city of the UK, so that every child has the chance for a world class technical education.”Mr Tugendhat added: “Levelling up isn’t about an us versus them, a north versus south, or an east versus west. It’s about harnessing the energy of the entire country to build a better future for everyone.”The MP for Tonbridge and Malling, who has no cabinet experience, set out his pitch to be the “clean start” candidate – attacking current Tory pettiness, factionalism and scandal.Recommended“We have retreated into the pettiness of a politics that is more about personality than principle,” said Mr Tugendhat, who has support from centrists in the ‘One Nation’ wing, as well as some moderate red wall MPs elected in 2019.He added: “We have retreated into division when we desperately need unity. When our nation needed our party to function, we retreated into faction. When the moment demanded service, we delivered scandal.”Rishi Sunak will launch his bid to become prime minister with a pledge to cut taxes only after inflation has been brought back under control.But 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, that again is proper conservativism”, while Ms Dorries said Ms Truss, who voted Remain in the 2016 referendum, is probably a “stronger Brexiteer than both of us”.Mr Tugendhat also said he backs tax cuts – promising to take fuel duty down by 10p a litre, and reverse April national insurance rise.“Tax cuts cannot be the only round in the magazine,” he said – vowing to champion financial deregulation. He said EU’s Solvency II regulations can be ditched, calling it one of the “biggest benefits of Brexit”.Mr Tugendhat said status as a Remainer in 2016 was not important, having promised to push on with Mr Johnson’s controversial legislation to unilaterally ditch protocol checks in defiance of the EU at the weekend.RecommendedThe outsider also said the final two candidates who make it through to the ballots before summer recess on 21 July contest must be prepared to go the distance.Warning against any stitch-up that would see one of the final two stand aside, Mr Tugendhat said: “There is no way that anyone who makes it to the last two should either offer or accept a compromise that goes behind the back of Conservative party members.” More

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