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| Labour will turn the heat on Tory leader hopefuls, says shadow minister | Labour will turn the heat on Tory leader hopefuls, says shadow minister |
| (6 months later) | |
| Labour is ready to turn its firepower on the next generation of Conservative leaders as power drains away from David Cameron, shadow minister Jon Ashworth will say. | Labour is ready to turn its firepower on the next generation of Conservative leaders as power drains away from David Cameron, shadow minister Jon Ashworth will say. |
| Speaking at the Labour North conference in Newcastle on Saturday, Ashworth, the MP for Leicester South and a former aide to Gordon Brown, will accuse the contenders for the Conservative crown of putting their ambitions before the needs of the country. | Speaking at the Labour North conference in Newcastle on Saturday, Ashworth, the MP for Leicester South and a former aide to Gordon Brown, will accuse the contenders for the Conservative crown of putting their ambitions before the needs of the country. |
| As the chancellor prepares to deliver his budget on Wednesday, Ashworth will say: “Be under no doubt, George Osborne and his £700,000 team of 10 spin doctors in 11 Downing Street will be working out his latest wheeze to win over Tory supporters and put Boris and Theresa on the back foot. | As the chancellor prepares to deliver his budget on Wednesday, Ashworth will say: “Be under no doubt, George Osborne and his £700,000 team of 10 spin doctors in 11 Downing Street will be working out his latest wheeze to win over Tory supporters and put Boris and Theresa on the back foot. |
| “Every week we see more and more Tory ministers putting more and more of their energy into plotting and scheming for the Tory succession rather than doing what is best for the nation.” | “Every week we see more and more Tory ministers putting more and more of their energy into plotting and scheming for the Tory succession rather than doing what is best for the nation.” |
| The total cost of the chancellor’s team of special advisers, including former TV producer Thea Rogers who has helped him sharpen up his media appearances, rose to £699,447 last year, from just under £500,000 in 2014. | The total cost of the chancellor’s team of special advisers, including former TV producer Thea Rogers who has helped him sharpen up his media appearances, rose to £699,447 last year, from just under £500,000 in 2014. |
| With the prime minister expected to step down before the next general election in 2020 – or sooner if the public vote to leave the European Union at the referendum in June – Ashworth, the shadow minister without portfolio, says Labour is gearing up to skewer his likely successors. | With the prime minister expected to step down before the next general election in 2020 – or sooner if the public vote to leave the European Union at the referendum in June – Ashworth, the shadow minister without portfolio, says Labour is gearing up to skewer his likely successors. |
| “Whatever happens, let me assure you we in the Labour party are getting ready for the upcoming change in Tory leadership. The test for George Osborne, Boris Johnson, Theresa May and others isn’t the quality of their leadership campaigning but the quality of their judgment,” he will say. | “Whatever happens, let me assure you we in the Labour party are getting ready for the upcoming change in Tory leadership. The test for George Osborne, Boris Johnson, Theresa May and others isn’t the quality of their leadership campaigning but the quality of their judgment,” he will say. |
| Johnson, the outgoing mayor of London, has been seen as the frontrunner for the Tory leadership since declaring he would campaign for Britain to leave the EU. | Johnson, the outgoing mayor of London, has been seen as the frontrunner for the Tory leadership since declaring he would campaign for Britain to leave the EU. |
| Ashworth’s intervention comes as the shadow cabinet seeks to close ranks around the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, as speculation over a possible leadership coup intensifies. | Ashworth’s intervention comes as the shadow cabinet seeks to close ranks around the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, as speculation over a possible leadership coup intensifies. |
| Corbyn’s spokesman said last week that the leader had “drawn a line in the sand” after several rocky weeks, in which he faced criticism over his stance on the Trident nuclear weapons programme and the legalisation of the sex industry. | Corbyn’s spokesman said last week that the leader had “drawn a line in the sand” after several rocky weeks, in which he faced criticism over his stance on the Trident nuclear weapons programme and the legalisation of the sex industry. |
| The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, also stepped up his attacks on Osborne last week as he announced new fiscal rules in an attempt to regain Labour’s reputation for economic competence. He promised to show “iron discipline” with future spending plans. | The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, also stepped up his attacks on Osborne last week as he announced new fiscal rules in an attempt to regain Labour’s reputation for economic competence. He promised to show “iron discipline” with future spending plans. |
| McDonnell, Corbyn’s closest political ally, welcomed the contributions of prominent backbencher Dan Jarvis, who delivered a speech on economic policy last week in a move widely seen as preparing the ground for a future leadership bid. Jarvis said his party must be “tough on inequality, tough on the causes of inequality”. | McDonnell, Corbyn’s closest political ally, welcomed the contributions of prominent backbencher Dan Jarvis, who delivered a speech on economic policy last week in a move widely seen as preparing the ground for a future leadership bid. Jarvis said his party must be “tough on inequality, tough on the causes of inequality”. |