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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Brexit live: Tory MPs begin voting to choose new leader – and prime minister | Brexit live: Tory MPs begin voting to choose new leader – and prime minister |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 8.42am BST | |
| 08:42 | |
| Anushka Asthana | |
| It was mainly Conservative MPs who were drinking in the House of Commons bars last night as many discussed how the leadership candidates had performed in the hustings. | |
| Some joked that Andrea Leadsom had lost them when she began to talk about “frontal lobes” and her “3 B’s – Brussels, banks and babies”. The reference was to the attachment theory between parents and newborns and the impact on brain development, something she is passionate about. | |
| Many said Michael Gove and Liam Fox performed best, but said Theresa May got the best reception and described Stephen Crabb as solid. | |
| Around 25 MPs went on to a later session in which the candidates addressed the party’s 2020 group, a set of MPs thinking about winning the next election, in half-hour sessions. | |
| But others went to a special karaoke session in which I’m told all the leadership candidates, apart from Leadsom, turned up for a singalong that stretched into the night. | |
| Sources suggest Crabb came out with a belter: Don’t Stop Me Now! | |
| The karaoke was organised by the deputy leader of the house, Therese Coffey, and dozens of MPs came, singing a variety of songs including Mr Brightside, Mack the Knife and Summer Nights. | |
| 8.32am BST | |
| 08:32 | |
| Crabb: 'being gay is not a sin' | |
| Crabb voted against same-sex marriage and has come in for criticism – particularly since he launched his leadership bid – for his views. | |
| He told the BBC his objection had been on the “narrow issue of protection of religious freedom”: | |
| I’m very happy with the outcome of the vote … I totally, totally support equal marriage in law. | |
| I don’t want anybody in society feeling second best. | |
| I don’t beli that being gay is a sin. | |
| Crabb also said that quotes circulating on social media in which he allegedly backed “gay conversion therapy” were a “complete falsehood”, adding that he does not believe that being gay is something that can be “cured”: | |
| It’s certainly not part of my Christian outlook. | |
| 8.29am BST | |
| 08:29 | |
| Asked about his proposal for a £100bn Growing Britain fund – borrowing to invest in infrastructure projects – Crabb mentioned (a few times) the need for “bold choices”: | |
| We’re at a major turning point … if we’re going to turn this [Brexit] to our advantage, we need to make some different economic choices. | |
| The plan sounds similar to that outlined in Labour’s manifesto in the 2015 election, presenter Mishal Husain tells him. Does he want to pay tribute to Ed Balls? | |
| Astonishingly, he does not. | |
| Crabb also insists he’s not abandoning government policy: | |
| It will always be a hallmark of a Conservative government to put a really strong emphasis on fiscal discipline and controlling spending. | |
| [But] Britain has to forge a new future in the world. | |
| Updated | |
| at 8.36am BST | |
| 8.23am BST | 8.23am BST |
| 08:23 | 08:23 |
| Crabb: 'no rush' to trigger article 50 | Crabb: 'no rush' to trigger article 50 |
| Stephen Crabb, work and pensions secretary and wannabe prime minister, is on the Today programme. He’s repeated his argument that the status of EU nationals already living in the UK should not be used as bargaining chips in Brexit negotiations: | |
| The idea that we will be at some sort of Checkpoint Charlie scenario, arguing over who’s going to live in which countries … is not going to happen. | The idea that we will be at some sort of Checkpoint Charlie scenario, arguing over who’s going to live in which countries … is not going to happen. |
| And on the key issue of triggering article 50 – there’s no rush: | And on the key issue of triggering article 50 – there’s no rush: |
| I think it’s a mistake for people to rush out to set out a timetable right now for activating article 50 … The dust hasn’t begun to settle. [The new PM] needs to take stock and work up a clear vision of what is in the national interest. | |
| Some of the other candidates … have felt under pressure to set out now what their timetable would be. We need to take a whole UK perspective on this … the mayor of London has got a role in those kinds of discussions. | |
| (He did mention Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland too.) | (He did mention Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland too.) |
| Crabb said it would not matter if the final two were to be him and Theresa May – two remainers, warning such descriptors carried a “serious risk of splitting the party; we’ve got to make this leadership election about the future”. | |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 8.29am BST | |
| 8.11am BST | 8.11am BST |
| 08:11 | 08:11 |
| Graeme Wearden | Graeme Wearden |
| The Bank of England will released its latest financial stability report at 10.30am, assessing the state of the UK’s economy. It looks rather more unstable than two weeks ago, of course, since the EU referendum vote turned politics on its head and put business confidence on its knees. | |
| Then at 11am, Mark Carney will hold a press conference to explain the Bank’s thinking, and any new measures it is taking to tackle the crisis. | Then at 11am, Mark Carney will hold a press conference to explain the Bank’s thinking, and any new measures it is taking to tackle the crisis. |
| This will be Carney’s second set piece event in a week; last Thursday, he all-but promised interest rate cuts and more stimulus measures this summer. | This will be Carney’s second set piece event in a week; last Thursday, he all-but promised interest rate cuts and more stimulus measures this summer. |
| So what could he do today? | So what could he do today? |
| The Bank could choose to relax the capital rules imposed on banks, to give them more leeway to handle the fallout from Brexit. That would be a symbolic move to ease pressures on the City; it’s only six months since the BoE tightened those rules, which are meant to protect us from a financial crisis. | The Bank could choose to relax the capital rules imposed on banks, to give them more leeway to handle the fallout from Brexit. That would be a symbolic move to ease pressures on the City; it’s only six months since the BoE tightened those rules, which are meant to protect us from a financial crisis. |
| Carney could also signal that more credit will be thrown at the economy, by beefing up the existing Funding for Lending. That would also help to prevent a credit crunch clogging up the economy. | Carney could also signal that more credit will be thrown at the economy, by beefing up the existing Funding for Lending. That would also help to prevent a credit crunch clogging up the economy. |
| Related: Mark Carney to outline Bank of England's Brexit stability moves – business live | Related: Mark Carney to outline Bank of England's Brexit stability moves – business live |
| Updated | |
| at 8.30am BST | |
| 8.06am BST | 8.06am BST |
| 08:06 | 08:06 |
| Buzzfeed’s Jim Waterson reports that Raheem Kassam, editor-in-chief of the UK outlet of rightwing news site Breitbart, and a former aide to Nigel Farage, is thinking of throwing his hat into the Ukip leadership ring. Sort of: | |
| I intend to shake up the leadership contest. Maybe by running. Maybe another way. Farage knows and he told me by way of third party that it was a good idea. Don’t know if that is true or not, to be honest. | |
| On BBC’s Newsnight last night, Kassam defended the Leave.EU “Breaking Point” poster, widely condemned during the referendum campaign: | On BBC’s Newsnight last night, Kassam defended the Leave.EU “Breaking Point” poster, widely condemned during the referendum campaign: |
| .@RaheemKassam says "breaking point" poster was poorly executed but "message was fine" #newsnight | .@RaheemKassam says "breaking point" poster was poorly executed but "message was fine" #newsnight |
| Updated | |
| at 8.31am BST | |
| 7.47am BST | 7.47am BST |
| 07:47 | 07:47 |
| If you had to pick one of the Tory leadership contenders to describe as a “warrior for the dispossessed”, who would it be? | If you had to pick one of the Tory leadership contenders to describe as a “warrior for the dispossessed”, who would it be? |
| For Nicky Morgan, writing in the Telegraph this morning, it’s her predecessor as education secretary, Michael Gove. And so he ought to be the prime minister, she says: | For Nicky Morgan, writing in the Telegraph this morning, it’s her predecessor as education secretary, Michael Gove. And so he ought to be the prime minister, she says: |
| It needs someone who will stand up for what’s right and not hide from big decisions. Someone with the ideas, passion and energy to get the job done. Someone who, through courageous and long-overdue education reforms (which I’ve had the privilege to build on) and wide-ranging changes to the way the criminal justice system works, has done more to transform the life chances of the most disadvantaged than any other Cabinet minister of recent times. Someone with an unshakeable commitment to being a ‘warrior for the dispossessed’. | |
| Michael Gove offers the change and the leadership we need if we are to meet this moment with the hard-headed response it demands. | Michael Gove offers the change and the leadership we need if we are to meet this moment with the hard-headed response it demands. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 8.31am BST | |
| 7.36am BST | 7.36am BST |
| 07:36 | 07:36 |
| Should Suzanne Evans – currently suspended from the party – be allowed to stand in the Ukip leadership, Nuttall is asked. | Should Suzanne Evans – currently suspended from the party – be allowed to stand in the Ukip leadership, Nuttall is asked. |
| [It’s] not my decision, unfortunately. Suzanne is a fantastic frontwoman for the party and I hope Suzanne comes back into the party. If the national executive committee says that Suzanne is able to stand, then I will back them absolutely 100%. | [It’s] not my decision, unfortunately. Suzanne is a fantastic frontwoman for the party and I hope Suzanne comes back into the party. If the national executive committee says that Suzanne is able to stand, then I will back them absolutely 100%. |
| Nuttall also, he says, gets on very well with Ukip’s sole MP, Douglas Carswell – who responded to news of Farage’s resignation with a smiley-faced emoji tweet. | Nuttall also, he says, gets on very well with Ukip’s sole MP, Douglas Carswell – who responded to news of Farage’s resignation with a smiley-faced emoji tweet. |
| I don’t have a problem on a personal level with Douglas Carswell at all … unity is the key. | I don’t have a problem on a personal level with Douglas Carswell at all … unity is the key. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 7.37am BST | at 7.37am BST |
| 7.33am BST | 7.33am BST |
| 07:33 | 07:33 |
| Reminded of a blogpost he wrote on 2010 (deleted but archived here) saying that “the very existence of the NHS stifles competition”, Nuttall tells the BBC: | Reminded of a blogpost he wrote on 2010 (deleted but archived here) saying that “the very existence of the NHS stifles competition”, Nuttall tells the BBC: |
| I said that back in 2010 … I believe that lack of competition within the NHS does stifle … particularly in procurement. We could bring in private companies to buy on behalf of the NHS. The NHS should still be free at the point of delivery … I’ve never said anything else. | I said that back in 2010 … I believe that lack of competition within the NHS does stifle … particularly in procurement. We could bring in private companies to buy on behalf of the NHS. The NHS should still be free at the point of delivery … I’ve never said anything else. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 7.38am BST | at 7.38am BST |
| 7.27am BST | 7.27am BST |
| 07:27 | 07:27 |
| Ukip also needs to stick around, Nuttall argues, to make sure Brexit actually happens: | Ukip also needs to stick around, Nuttall argues, to make sure Brexit actually happens: |
| We have to be there to ensure we hold the next prime minister’s feet to the fire to ensure they don’t backslide. | We have to be there to ensure we hold the next prime minister’s feet to the fire to ensure they don’t backslide. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 7.44am BST | at 7.44am BST |
| 7.26am BST | 7.26am BST |
| 07:26 | 07:26 |
| Paul Nuttall, Ukip’s deputy leader and likely contender to stand for the top job after Nigel Farage’s resignation, has been speaking on the Today programme. | Paul Nuttall, Ukip’s deputy leader and likely contender to stand for the top job after Nigel Farage’s resignation, has been speaking on the Today programme. |
| Farage really is going this time, Nuttall says: | Farage really is going this time, Nuttall says: |
| Nigel has been a brilliant leader … he’s taken us from literally nothing … He really is going out on a high. | Nigel has been a brilliant leader … he’s taken us from literally nothing … He really is going out on a high. |
| But Ukip isn’t going anywhere, he insists – despite essentially achieving its central goal: | But Ukip isn’t going anywhere, he insists – despite essentially achieving its central goal: |
| Ten years ago Ukip was a single-issue pressure group … That isn’t the case any more. | Ten years ago Ukip was a single-issue pressure group … That isn’t the case any more. |
| He says the party should be going after traditional Labour voters, adding that “there is now a clear disconnect” between them and the party. | He says the party should be going after traditional Labour voters, adding that “there is now a clear disconnect” between them and the party. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 7.38am BST | at 7.38am BST |
| 7.13am BST | 7.13am BST |
| 07:13 | 07:13 |
| Jo Johnson – previously backing his brother Boris (and we know these things aren’t guaranteed) – has switched his support to Theresa May: | Jo Johnson – previously backing his brother Boris (and we know these things aren’t guaranteed) – has switched his support to Theresa May: |
| It's Theresa May. No question. #TM4PM @TheresaMay2016 | It's Theresa May. No question. #TM4PM @TheresaMay2016 |
| 6.49am BST | 6.49am BST |
| 06:49 | 06:49 |
| Morning briefing | Morning briefing |
| Claire Phipps | Claire Phipps |
| Good morning and welcome to our daily politics, leadership jousts and Brexit fallout coverage. I’m kicking things off with the morning briefing to set you up for the day ahead and steering the live blog until Andrew Sparrow takes his seat. | Good morning and welcome to our daily politics, leadership jousts and Brexit fallout coverage. I’m kicking things off with the morning briefing to set you up for the day ahead and steering the live blog until Andrew Sparrow takes his seat. |
| Do come and chat in the comments below or find me on Twitter @Claire_Phipps. | Do come and chat in the comments below or find me on Twitter @Claire_Phipps. |
| The big picture | The big picture |
| Voting begins today to eject the first of the five would-be prime ministers from the Conservative leadership running. Tory MPs pick from Theresa May (the favourite by pretty much all reckonings), Andrea Leadsom, Michael Gove, Stephen Crabb and Liam Fox, with the loser evicted from the Big Westminster House without even a chance to sob in the diary room. | Voting begins today to eject the first of the five would-be prime ministers from the Conservative leadership running. Tory MPs pick from Theresa May (the favourite by pretty much all reckonings), Andrea Leadsom, Michael Gove, Stephen Crabb and Liam Fox, with the loser evicted from the Big Westminster House without even a chance to sob in the diary room. |
| Most predictions have Fox as the first to go but what do predictions know? | Most predictions have Fox as the first to go but what do predictions know? |
| Leadsom on Monday won the backing of Boris Johnson (he was the future once), who said she had “the zap, the drive, and the determination” to be prime minister and praised her trustworthiness. Because where are you if you can’t trust your closest political chums? | Leadsom on Monday won the backing of Boris Johnson (he was the future once), who said she had “the zap, the drive, and the determination” to be prime minister and praised her trustworthiness. Because where are you if you can’t trust your closest political chums? |
| All five candidates on Monday night took part in hustings in front of their colleagues. It wasn’t a public event but, well, people will talk. Here’s what we can glean: | All five candidates on Monday night took part in hustings in front of their colleagues. It wasn’t a public event but, well, people will talk. Here’s what we can glean: |
| The deadline for voting is 6pm; expect to know who’s soared and who’s stumbled by 7pm. Non-defeated but embarrassed candidates have until Wednesday morning to pull out if they don’t want to go forward to the next knockout round on Thursday. | The deadline for voting is 6pm; expect to know who’s soared and who’s stumbled by 7pm. Non-defeated but embarrassed candidates have until Wednesday morning to pull out if they don’t want to go forward to the next knockout round on Thursday. |
| Less snappily, the Labour leadership … contest? challenge? muddle? … trundles on. Today, the party’s deputy leader, Tom Watson, meets trade union bosses in what is being billed as a last-ditch attempt at a deal that would ease Jeremy Corbyn out of his seat while also keeping Labour as one big happy family. Well, maybe not happy. | Less snappily, the Labour leadership … contest? challenge? muddle? … trundles on. Today, the party’s deputy leader, Tom Watson, meets trade union bosses in what is being billed as a last-ditch attempt at a deal that would ease Jeremy Corbyn out of his seat while also keeping Labour as one big happy family. Well, maybe not happy. |
| At a meeting of the parliamentary Labour party yesterday evening – not attended by Corbyn or his shadow chancellor, John McDonnell – Watson reportedly told MPs the union meeting was a “last throw of the dice” after he had asked Corbyn earlier that day to step down (he didn’t step down). | At a meeting of the parliamentary Labour party yesterday evening – not attended by Corbyn or his shadow chancellor, John McDonnell – Watson reportedly told MPs the union meeting was a “last throw of the dice” after he had asked Corbyn earlier that day to step down (he didn’t step down). |
| Former leader Neil Kinnock apparently moved some MPs to tears, telling them Labour could not split: | Former leader Neil Kinnock apparently moved some MPs to tears, telling them Labour could not split: |
| We are not leaving our party. We are going to fight and we are going to win! | We are not leaving our party. We are going to fight and we are going to win! |
| On Monday, Fabian Hamilton, the shadow Europe minister, became the 65th member of the Labour frontbench to resign. Another ex-shadow, Angela Eagle, proved we are way past coded messages with a gauntlet-chucking statement: | On Monday, Fabian Hamilton, the shadow Europe minister, became the 65th member of the Labour frontbench to resign. Another ex-shadow, Angela Eagle, proved we are way past coded messages with a gauntlet-chucking statement: |
| I have the support to run and resolve this impasse, and I will do so if Jeremy doesn’t take action soon. | I have the support to run and resolve this impasse, and I will do so if Jeremy doesn’t take action soon. |
| A defiant Corbyn did take action. He made a video: but is it a greatest hits package or a leadership career retrospective? | A defiant Corbyn did take action. He made a video: but is it a greatest hits package or a leadership career retrospective? |
| When we do things together we are very strong. Now is the time to come together. | When we do things together we are very strong. Now is the time to come together. |
| And because there just aren’t enough leadership spats going on, we’re likely to see some runners and riders emerge to take Ukip into its next phase. Unless Nigel Farage un-resigns again. | And because there just aren’t enough leadership spats going on, we’re likely to see some runners and riders emerge to take Ukip into its next phase. Unless Nigel Farage un-resigns again. |
| Has the UK Brexited yet? | Has the UK Brexited yet? |
| No. And according to the Austrian finance minister, Hans Jörg Schelling, perhaps it never will. Schelling told German newspaper Handelsblatt (here in English): | No. And according to the Austrian finance minister, Hans Jörg Schelling, perhaps it never will. Schelling told German newspaper Handelsblatt (here in English): |
| Britain will remain a member of the EU in the future. In five years, there will still be 28 member states. When you look at all of those [companies] who want to move to the EU, it’s a wakeup call for Britain not to leave in the end. | Britain will remain a member of the EU in the future. In five years, there will still be 28 member states. When you look at all of those [companies] who want to move to the EU, it’s a wakeup call for Britain not to leave in the end. |
| On the other hand, Alain Juppé, former prime minister of France and the favourite to win next year’s French presidential election, thinks the UK should leave tout de suite: | On the other hand, Alain Juppé, former prime minister of France and the favourite to win next year’s French presidential election, thinks the UK should leave tout de suite: |
| When you get divorced, you do not get to stay at home. You have to leave the common house. | When you get divorced, you do not get to stay at home. You have to leave the common house. |
| Juppé also raised the prospect – rejected by the French government but potentially a future flashpoint should he end up in the Elysée Palace – that the Le Touquet agreement, which allows the UK border force to operate in Calais, could be scrapped. | Juppé also raised the prospect – rejected by the French government but potentially a future flashpoint should he end up in the Elysée Palace – that the Le Touquet agreement, which allows the UK border force to operate in Calais, could be scrapped. |
| We cannot continue with a system in which on French territory the British authorities decide the people that can be welcomed and can be rejected. That is not acceptable. | We cannot continue with a system in which on French territory the British authorities decide the people that can be welcomed and can be rejected. That is not acceptable. |
| You should also know: | You should also know: |
| The big question | The big question |
| Will the £3 registered Labour supporters who signed up in droves last year – and who are widely credited with placing the crown on Corbyn’s head – be voting in any new leadership contest? | Will the £3 registered Labour supporters who signed up in droves last year – and who are widely credited with placing the crown on Corbyn’s head – be voting in any new leadership contest? |
| The answer is: not necessarily. | The answer is: not necessarily. |
| As Rowena Mason and Jessica Elgot report: | As Rowena Mason and Jessica Elgot report: |
| Registered supporters have no “ongoing” relationship with the party and would thus have to sign up again, under Labour party rules. There is also no rule on the registered supporter fee remaining at £3, or on the timeframe in which new members should be allowed to sign up, which is a matter for the national executive committee (NEC) to decide. | Registered supporters have no “ongoing” relationship with the party and would thus have to sign up again, under Labour party rules. There is also no rule on the registered supporter fee remaining at £3, or on the timeframe in which new members should be allowed to sign up, which is a matter for the national executive committee (NEC) to decide. |
| “It could be free, it could be £50,000 – there’s nothing to say it has to be £3,” a Labour source told the Guardian. | “It could be free, it could be £50,000 – there’s nothing to say it has to be £3,” a Labour source told the Guardian. |
| Another source confirmed it was the case that there was “no formal ongoing relationship conferred upon them [registered supporters] because they paid to participate in one leadership election. That only allows them to vote in that leadership election.” | Another source confirmed it was the case that there was “no formal ongoing relationship conferred upon them [registered supporters] because they paid to participate in one leadership election. That only allows them to vote in that leadership election.” |
| Poll position | Poll position |
| A YouGov/Times poll of Conservative party members – who’ll get to pick the next prime minister, lucky things – finds that if, as predicted, the final two are Theresa May and Andrea Leadsom, May would take it at a sprint with a thumping 63% to Leadsom’s 31% (and 6% don’t-knows). | A YouGov/Times poll of Conservative party members – who’ll get to pick the next prime minister, lucky things – finds that if, as predicted, the final two are Theresa May and Andrea Leadsom, May would take it at a sprint with a thumping 63% to Leadsom’s 31% (and 6% don’t-knows). |
| Pitted against the other candidates, May also comes out as the winner: the poll says she’d beat Stephen Crabb by 63 points, Michael Gove by 51 points and Liam Fox by 50 points. | Pitted against the other candidates, May also comes out as the winner: the poll says she’d beat Stephen Crabb by 63 points, Michael Gove by 51 points and Liam Fox by 50 points. |
| YouGov Tory members poll. Behold utter destruction of Gove's reputation - in under a week, from +41 to -20 pic.twitter.com/PfgQZxvSAv | YouGov Tory members poll. Behold utter destruction of Gove's reputation - in under a week, from +41 to -20 pic.twitter.com/PfgQZxvSAv |
| Diary | Diary |
| Read these | Read these |
| Le Monde carries an interview with Christine Lagarde, head of the IMF, in which she says “we do not have the slightest idea of the timing or the outcome of the negotiations between London and the EU”: | Le Monde carries an interview with Christine Lagarde, head of the IMF, in which she says “we do not have the slightest idea of the timing or the outcome of the negotiations between London and the EU”: |
| Le vrai facteur d’incertitude, c’est, à supposer que l’article 50 soit déclenché, les conditions dans lesquelles le Royaume-Uni effectuera des transactions commerciales avec l’Union européenne (UE). L’hypothèse favorable, c’est un accord à la norvégienne. C’est politiquement difficile, car le pays y aurait toutes les obligations des membres de l’UE, notamment la libre circulation des personnes, mais aucun droit. Mais ce serait le plus raisonnable économiquement … | Le vrai facteur d’incertitude, c’est, à supposer que l’article 50 soit déclenché, les conditions dans lesquelles le Royaume-Uni effectuera des transactions commerciales avec l’Union européenne (UE). L’hypothèse favorable, c’est un accord à la norvégienne. C’est politiquement difficile, car le pays y aurait toutes les obligations des membres de l’UE, notamment la libre circulation des personnes, mais aucun droit. Mais ce serait le plus raisonnable économiquement … |
| Mais nous n’avons pas la moindre idée ni du délai, ni de l’issue des négociations entre Londres et l’UE. | Mais nous n’avons pas la moindre idée ni du délai, ni de l’issue des négociations entre Londres et l’UE. |
| Theresa May, in the Daily Mail (scroll down), says as leader she’d get to work on building a Trident replacement right away: | Theresa May, in the Daily Mail (scroll down), says as leader she’d get to work on building a Trident replacement right away: |
| It would be sheer madness to contemplate even for a moment giving up Britain’s independent nuclear deterrent. And there is no room for compromise, and no room for cheese paring. | It would be sheer madness to contemplate even for a moment giving up Britain’s independent nuclear deterrent. And there is no room for compromise, and no room for cheese paring. |
| We need a full fleet of four submarines, capable between them of providing what the military call ‘Continuous At Sea Deterrence’, or permanent, around-the-clock cover. Doing so will send an important message that, as Britain leaves the European Union, we remain committed to working alongside our Nato allies and playing our full role in the world … | We need a full fleet of four submarines, capable between them of providing what the military call ‘Continuous At Sea Deterrence’, or permanent, around-the-clock cover. Doing so will send an important message that, as Britain leaves the European Union, we remain committed to working alongside our Nato allies and playing our full role in the world … |
| A lot of parliamentary business has, for obvious reasons, been put on hold until the leadership election is complete and a new prime minister is in post. But when it comes to the nuclear deterrent, the national interest is clear, the Conservatives are united, and we have waited long enough. | A lot of parliamentary business has, for obvious reasons, been put on hold until the leadership election is complete and a new prime minister is in post. But when it comes to the nuclear deterrent, the national interest is clear, the Conservatives are united, and we have waited long enough. |
| In the Times, Rachel Sylvester examines what a Labour party split would look like: | In the Times, Rachel Sylvester examines what a Labour party split would look like: |
| A former shadow cabinet minister describes this as a ‘clause 1 rather than a clause 4 moment’ because the first line of the party’s constitution defines its purpose as ‘to organise and maintain in parliament and in the country a political Labour party’. | A former shadow cabinet minister describes this as a ‘clause 1 rather than a clause 4 moment’ because the first line of the party’s constitution defines its purpose as ‘to organise and maintain in parliament and in the country a political Labour party’. |
| What is fascinating, though, is that a growing number of MPs, peers, candidates and advisers now believe that it is time to start again with a new party of the centre left. Three months ago it was seen as foolish, or even heretical, to suggest such a thing, but since the EU referendum the idea has become mainstream. The Brexit vote has changed everything, with a former cabinet minister talking of the exciting possibilities for a ‘party of the 48%’ … One of those involved behind the scenes [says]: ‘There’s a massive opportunity for a pro-business, socially liberal party in favour of the EU.’ | What is fascinating, though, is that a growing number of MPs, peers, candidates and advisers now believe that it is time to start again with a new party of the centre left. Three months ago it was seen as foolish, or even heretical, to suggest such a thing, but since the EU referendum the idea has become mainstream. The Brexit vote has changed everything, with a former cabinet minister talking of the exciting possibilities for a ‘party of the 48%’ … One of those involved behind the scenes [says]: ‘There’s a massive opportunity for a pro-business, socially liberal party in favour of the EU.’ |
| (Hang on – isn’t that … the Liberal Democrats?) | (Hang on – isn’t that … the Liberal Democrats?) |
| And today’s Guardian long read: Rafael Behr on the inside story of the doomed remain campaign. | And today’s Guardian long read: Rafael Behr on the inside story of the doomed remain campaign. |
| Celebrity endorsement of the day | Celebrity endorsement of the day |
| Actor Christoph Waltz – not a Brexit fan – could at least give his hearty backing to the resignation of Nigel Farage: | Actor Christoph Waltz – not a Brexit fan – could at least give his hearty backing to the resignation of Nigel Farage: |
| Of course the head rat would leave the sinking ship. | Of course the head rat would leave the sinking ship. |
| "Of course the head rat would leave the sinking ship" - Christoph Waltz reacts to @Nige_ Farage stepping down https://t.co/TG3iXxJRb0 | "Of course the head rat would leave the sinking ship" - Christoph Waltz reacts to @Nige_ Farage stepping down https://t.co/TG3iXxJRb0 |
| Welcome distraction of the day | Welcome distraction of the day |
| After a five-year voyage, Nasa’s Juno spacecraft has reached Jupiter and successfully entered its orbit. So humans are capable of great things. Also, perhaps we could move there. #Juxit | After a five-year voyage, Nasa’s Juno spacecraft has reached Jupiter and successfully entered its orbit. So humans are capable of great things. Also, perhaps we could move there. #Juxit |
| The day in a tweet | The day in a tweet |
| OK, it’s strictly speaking yesterday in a tweet, but in some parts of the US it’s still 4 July: | OK, it’s strictly speaking yesterday in a tweet, but in some parts of the US it’s still 4 July: |
| Happy Independence Day!! The original #Brexit #happy4thofjuly pic.twitter.com/1s6mqb86hB | Happy Independence Day!! The original #Brexit #happy4thofjuly pic.twitter.com/1s6mqb86hB |
| If today were a nursery rhyme | If today were a nursery rhyme |
| It would be There Were Five in the Bed … and they all rolled over and one fell out. Tune in again on Thursday to see what happens when the remaining four all roll over. | It would be There Were Five in the Bed … and they all rolled over and one fell out. Tune in again on Thursday to see what happens when the remaining four all roll over. |
| And another thing | And another thing |
| Would you like to wake up to this briefing in your inbox every weekday? Sign up here. | Would you like to wake up to this briefing in your inbox every weekday? Sign up here. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 7.49am BST | at 7.49am BST |