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Brexit: Cross-party move to allow MPs to pass bill blocking no-deal fails – live news Tory leadership: Sajid Javid dismisses Boris Johnson as 'yesterday's news' as he launches campaign – live news
(32 minutes later)
Q: When did you decide that Theresa May had cut police numbers too far?
Javid says even before he became home secretary he was concerned the cuts had gone too far.
But he was bound by collective responsibility, he says. He says that was right.
But he is speaking out now because he is running for leader, and people need to know what he would and would not do, he says.
And that’s it. The press conference is over.
Javid has now taking questions from all the journalists on the list he had of news organisations he was planning to call. He says he will take questions from others in the room.
Someone who is head of private wealth at a law firm asks what he would do to stop members of the armed forces being prosecuted for historical allegations.
Javid says he is not happy with the current situation. He would ask his attorney general as a priority to stop these sorts of cases.
Q: Are you worried your campaign has started too slowly?
Javid says he is happy with the way it is going, although he is worried his dog Bailey (who features in Javid’s video) is getting more popular than he is.
Q: Do the Tories have a problem with Islamophobia?
Javid says he thinks there is a growing problem with Islamophobia in society at large.
He does not think the Conservatives have a particular problem. But people should speak out if they hear something objectionable, he says. He says he would be happy for an organisation to come in and look at the party’s record.
Q: Why do you think you could get the EU to offer a Brexit deal?
Javid says having a new team will make a difference. There have been reports that the EU will be more flexible.
He says he started in the City at the bottom. He ended up near the top. He spent his career doing deals, doing some of the biggest bond trades in the world.
Q: Would you appoint someone who has taken class A drugs as home secretary?
Javid says that is a reference to his good friend Michael Gove. He says Gove is big enough himself to defend his record.
Q: Do you regret depriving Shamima Begum of her citizenship?
Javid says he cannot comment on individual cases like this.
But he says as home secretary his priority is to keep the country safe. And he says, when he receives advice from security officials, people would expect him to take it.
Javid says that he would not push to change abortion laws.
Q: What are the main differences between you and the favourite, Boris Johnson?
Javid says he is a change candidate.
Boris Johnson is yesterday’s news. He’s been around in politics for a while.
Javid says his life experience is different. He can connect with 90% of the country.
Javid starts by taking a question from Sky’s Beth Rigby.
And he says she does not need to worry about anyone booing her for doing her job.
That is a reference to what MPs supporting Boris Johnson were doing at this morning event. Javid’s comment goes down very well with journalists.
Q: Are you worried the Tories are turning into the nasty party?
Javid says he is worried about politicians “around the world” promoting division.
(That seems to be a reference to President Trump.)
And he claims that Jeremy Corbyn is already pursuing divisive politics.
He wants to bring people together, he says.
Q: Are you saying Boris Johnson is like Trump?
Javid says of course we need vigorous debate. But he wants to bring people together.
Javid says it is almost two centuries since Disraeli coined the concept of one national conservatism.
It is no coincidence he was an outside (Disraeli was a jew).
Now it is time for another outside to revive the party.
His family came here for freedom and prosperity. He has always been an optimist. And he feels an obligation to his family to secure the country’s future, so it remains a beacon.
Javid says he wants to see more police on the streets.
And he wants to continue investing in the NHS.
He says he has a supportive family. The government must support families in everything it does, he says.
Javid says the UK needs world-class public services.
It needs fiscal responsibility - keeping debt going down.
And it needs a more balance economy, and investment in the whole of the UK.
He says people argue we should not obsess so much about growth.
But he does care about growth. That guarantees people can have jobs and public services.
Public services were a lifeline for him, he says.
Services like the NHS are “the beating heart of our country”, and they deserve a prime minister who believes in them.
Javid says the Tories won’t deliver on the referendum result just by leaving the EU.
The vote to leave was not just a critique of the EU system, but of the Westminster system too.
He says the Tories have lost their competence and their confidence.
The Tories need to take on the elites and the cartels, in the public and private sectors, he says.
The problem with the Westminster elite is they have always been insiders. He does not blame them for that.
But it was not connections that got him where he is today; it was public services, hard work and family.
Javid says his experience, dealing with issues such as Grenfell Tower and Windrush, has humbled him greatly.
He says the Conservative party should not be doubling down on divisions.
We are at a crossroads, he says, and need to stop the country going in the wrong direction.
Sajid Javid says the Tories need “a new kind of leadership from a new kind of leader”.
The Conservatives have been in power for almost a decade.
They will face a fourth general election. But they have won only one majority in the past quarter of a century, and they only won that narrowly.
Javid says the Tories need to extend their appeal: “We need tomorrow’s leader today.”
Javid says he has a positive plan for Brexit.Javid says he has a positive plan for Brexit.
And he says he can keep Jeremy Corbyn away from Brexit.And he says he can keep Jeremy Corbyn away from Brexit.
Delivering Brexit is only a first step, he says. It will not be enough for the Tories to win a majority.Delivering Brexit is only a first step, he says. It will not be enough for the Tories to win a majority.
It might surprise some people in Westminster, but most people in this country don’t just talk about Brexit.It might surprise some people in Westminster, but most people in this country don’t just talk about Brexit.
Javid says people want to hear the Tories talk about other things.Javid says people want to hear the Tories talk about other things.
And he knows this can happen - because it has happened in Scotland. And he knows this can happen – because it has happened in Scotland.
The Tories used to do so badly in Scotland that people joked about there being more pandas there than Tory MPs. But then the party threw out candidates from central casting, and elected Ruth Davidson (a young, blunt-speaking lesbian). Since then the party has been gaining support in Scotland. The Tories used to do so badly in Scotland that people joked about there being more pandas there than Tory MPs. But then the party threw out candidates from central casting, and elected Ruth Davidson (a young, blunt-speaking lesbian). Since then, the party has been gaining support in Scotland.
Sajid Javid is speaking now.Sajid Javid is speaking now.
He says he is used to being told he was different. As a young child he remembers being advised by friends they had to walk home a different route because they were being threatened. He says he is used to being told he is different. As a child, he remembers being advised by friends they had to walk home a different route because they were being threatened.
His friends went abroad on holidays. He went to Rochdale, but his friends did not realise, because it looked like he had a tan.His friends went abroad on holidays. He went to Rochdale, but his friends did not realise, because it looked like he had a tan.
Javid says he has been constantly told that options are not for him - going to university, going into banking, going into Conservative politics. Javid says he has been constantly told options are not for him – going to university, going into banking, going into Conservative politics.
And when he wanted to marry a white Christian, there were people in his wider community who said he should not, and that his children would be half-caste.And when he wanted to marry a white Christian, there were people in his wider community who said he should not, and that his children would be half-caste.
But he did marry - and his children would not even recognise the term. They are part of modern Britain. But he did marry and his children would not even recognise the term. They are part of modern Britain.
Javid says he is used to being told what he can’t do. But he is more interested in what people can do.Javid says he is used to being told what he can’t do. But he is more interested in what people can do.
He says the fact that he can put himself forward as a candidate for PM shows the strength of his party. He says the fact he can put himself forward as a candidate shows the strength of his party.
The Sajid Javid campaign launch is now getting underway. It was held up because of the Commons vote. The Sajid Javid campaign launch is getting under way. It was held up because of the Commons vote.
Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Conservative leader, is introducing him.Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Conservative leader, is introducing him.
She has recently had a baby and she says there is not much that would get her to leave her child. But she has come from Edinburgh to London to introduce him because she is such an admirer.She has recently had a baby and she says there is not much that would get her to leave her child. But she has come from Edinburgh to London to introduce him because she is such an admirer.
She says they first met when Javid beat her in the contest to be selected candidate for Bromsgrove 10 years ago. She says they first met when Javid beat her in the contest to be selected as the candidate for Bromsgrove 10 years ago.
She says he has shown energy and dynamism in all the government jobs he has done. She says he has shown energy and dynamism in all the government jobs he has had.
She says the Tories are struggling to speak to great swathes of the country. But she says Javid understands people’s concerns because he has lived them.She says the Tories are struggling to speak to great swathes of the country. But she says Javid understands people’s concerns because he has lived them.
The Conservatives have always done well with a leader brought up above the shop, she says.The Conservatives have always done well with a leader brought up above the shop, she says.
The pound has fallen to its lowest level of the day against the US dollar, suggesting City traders think the risk of a no-deal Brexit has risen. Sterling just dropped by a third of a cent to $1.269, its lowest level since early yesterday morning The pound has fallen to its lowest level of the day against the US dollar, suggesting City traders think the risk of a no-deal Brexit has risen. Sterling just dropped by one-third of a cent to $1.269, the lowest level since early yesterday morning
The government has won by 309 votes to 298 - a majority of 11. That means the motion has been defeated, and MPs won’t get control of Commons business on Tuesday 25 June to enable them to pass legislation blocking a no-deal Brexit.
Here is an extract from Dominic Grieve’s speech, the highlight of the debate.
If we get to a point where a prime minister is intent on doing this [taking the UK out of the EU without a deal], the only way of stopping that prime minister would be to bring down that prime minister’s government.
And I simply have to say here and now I will not hesitate to do that if that is what is attempted, even if it means my resigning the whip and leaving the party. I will not allow this country to be taken out of the EU on a no-deal Brexit without the approval of this house, in my view going back to the country and asking them if that is what they want.
So me, desiring the best for my party, as a loyal member of it, as far as I’m concerned, this is probably the last opportunity to have a sensible way of influencing the outcome ...
I was elected as member of parliament for Beaconsfield to represent my constituents’ interests. No-deal is not in their interests, and nor is there the smallest shred of evidence that there is some majority for this appalling and chaotic proposal. Yet I have to face up to the fact that there are some people who wish to lead my party who appear to believe that it is a viable option, and indeed that they can’t become leaders of my party without it being an option that they are prepared to put forward – all part of the process, I’m afraid, of further deceit which is slowly swallowing up the democracy of this country and the reputation of this house.
So, I simply say this; I shall support the motion. I disagree on most things with [Jeremy Corbyn], I disagree fundamentally with every tenet of his philosophical outlook. But I have to say it is the only opportunity we’ve got. And I’m not going to spend my time talking to children or grandchildren later on saying, ‘When it came to it, I just decided to give up.’ I won’t do that.
From Tony Grew’s @PARLYapp
At least five Tory MPs have gone into the aye lobby despite last minute efforts by ministers to dissuade them
Nick Brown, the Labour chief whip, intervenes to propose that the vote be held now.
MPs are voting.
Here, for reference, is the text of the motion.
Business of the House Motion (United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union)
(1) That, on Tuesday 25 June –
(a) standing order no. 14(1) (which provides that government business shall have precedence at every sitting save as provided in that order) shall not apply;
(b) precedence shall be given to a motion relating to the business of the house in connection with matters relating to the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union;
(c) if more than one motion relating to the business of the house is tabled, the Speaker shall decide which motion shall have precedence;
(d) the Speaker shall interrupt proceedings on any business having precedence before the business of the house motion at 1.00 pm and call a member to move that motion;
(e) debate on that motion may continue until 2.00 pm at which time the Speaker shall put the questions necessary to dispose of proceedings on that motion including the questions on amendments selected by the Speaker which may then be moved;
(f) any proceedings interrupted or superseded by this order may be resumed or (as the case may be) entered upon and proceeded with after the moment of interruption.
Labour’s Angela Eagle is speaking now. She says MPs have to stop a new PM acting like a “latter-day Charles I” and suspending parliament to facilitate no-deal.
Dominic Grieve, the Conservative former attorney general and a leading pro-European in his party, says Stephen Barclay’s speech was full of “obfuscatory facts” obscuring the reality, which is that if this motion does not pass, a new prime minister will be able to stop MPs voting to block no-deal before 31 October.
He says, if the motion were to fail, then the only option would be to bring down the government with a vote of no confidence. But he says he would not hesitate to do so to stop a no-deal Brexit. He would have to resign the whip, he says.
He says he considers himself a loyal Conservative. But he is dismayed that some of his colleagues think no-deal Brexit would be acceptable. It would not be, he says. He says he is not willing to face the prospect of having to tell his grandchildren that, faced with the prospect of no deal, he just gave up.
Gareth Snell, one of the more pro-Brexit MPs on the Labour benches, is speaking in the debate now. He says he regrets not voting for the deal in the last Commons vote in March. If someone can bring a deal to the house, he will vote for it, he says.
He says if Labour MPs do not vote for a deal they will be responsible for a no-deal Brexit by default.
The fact is there is a deal. It is not a great deal. But it is what we are presented with ... We can only make decisions on what we are presented with.
Cash says it would be wrong for MPs to pass legislation to block a no-deal Brexit because, by doing so, they would be abrogating the decision taken when they said the public at large should determine whether or not the UK should remain in the EU in the 2016 referendum.
Sir Bill Cash, the Tory Brexiter, is speaking in the debate now. He says this is “an open door” motion. It opens the door for any bill on Tuesday 25 June.
He says this is an attempt by Labour, not just to disrupt the Tory leadership contest, but to reverse Brexit.
Nick Boles, the former Conservative who now sits as an independent, says a no-deal Brexit would lead to the decimation of lamb imports and the destruction of jobs in manufacturing. Those should be reasons enough to back the motion, he says.