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Tory leadership: Boris Johnson launches campaign to be next prime minister – live news Tory leadership: Boris Johnson launches campaign to be next prime minister – live news
(32 minutes later)
Q: Many of you colleagues worry about your character ..
My parrot
Q: Your character. Alistair Burt said you brought shame on this country when you described Muslim women as pillar boxes. People who have worked with you do not think you are fit to be PM.
Johnson says some of his colleagues do back him.
But he wants to address the point. Sometimes “plaster comes off the ceiling” when he says things. But people feel alienated from politicians because they think they are “muffling and veiling” their language.
If he causes offence, he is sorry for that. But he will continue to speak as directly as he can.
Johnson says he will take six questions.
Q: You said Brexit would be easy, and it wasn’t. You have a reputation for making mistakes. You are telling leavers one thing and remainers another. Can the country trust you?
Yes, says Johnson.
He rejects the claim that he is inconsistent on Brexit.
He does not want no-deal, but he wants to prepare for no-deal. The best way to avoid no-deal is to make the preparations now for it, he say.
He says this is the way to get a deal.
He says the team he is building will “hit the ground running”.
They will engage with the EU in the “friendliest possible way”. And he says he thinks they will respond in a symmetric way.
Johnson says he knows the Labour London left.
He knows their obsessions.
Jeremy Corbyn is far to the left of Ken Livingstone (who Johnson beat twice in London mayoral elections), Johnson says.
He says Corbyn is a fundamental threat to our values and our way of life.
Johnson claims he has campaigned in almost every seat in the country.
He will do anything he can to stop the government of the UK passing into the hands of Labour, who have disdain for wealth creation and who would compromise the government’s ability to fund the NHS.
He says he last defeated this sort of leftwinger when the Tories were 17-points behind in London.
This is the opening salvo in a battle to protect the country, he says.
Johnson says he has seen the UK’s partners want it to recover its self-belief.
He says he does not underestimate the challenges lying ahead.
But he has real experience managing short-term difficulties on the road to long-term success.
He took London through riots and strikes, and he oversaw the Olympics.
He shrank the opportunity gap.
And he wants to do for the whole country what he did for London.
In everything he does he will seek to strengthen the union - this “awesome foursome” that makes the UK a “softpower superpower”, Johnson says.
Johnson says he cut crime. That helped the poorest families, because they suffer disproportionately from crime, he says.
And he was able to do this while championing wealth creators. At one point he was the only person in the country speaking up for the financial sector, he says.
He says he wants a “sizzling synergy” that can promote growth.
He says he wants no town, no community, and no person left behind.
Johnson says the economy is achieving Grand Prix speeds without firing on all cylinders.
He says it is important to unite the country. Parts of the UK feel left behind. We need better infrastructure. Spain has must better hi-speed broadband. Leeds has no metro rail. This is madness, he says.
He says the “fundamental moral purpose” of the government should be to bridge not just the wealth gap but the opportunity gap.
He says he can do this because he achieved this in London. When he took office as mayor, London had four of the six poorest areas in the country. By the time he left, it had none in the poorest 20.
Johnson says the EU do not want no-deal “any more than I do”.
Delay means defeat, delay means Corbyn.
Kick the can again and we kick the bucket.
The Tories’s natural supporters would go to other parties if Brexit were delayed. And all voters would despair at Wesminster being able to deliver anything.
Johnson says there would be an overwhelming sense of relief if Brexit were to happen by the end of October. People would start to focus on other things.
Johnson says the leave vote was not just about democracy or immigration.
People wanted to be heard, he says. They wanted to feel they too could be part of this country.
They wanted to know that their concerns were as important to the country’s leaders as those of any “metropolitan tech guru”.
After three years and two missed deadlines, we must leave the EU on October 31.
Johnson reaffirms his commitment to take the UK out of the EU by 31 October.
He stresses he is not aiming for no-deal. But he says it would be irresponsible to rule it out.
Boris Johnson is speaking now.
He says the economy has grown since the Brexit vote. The “commercial dynamism” of the British people has insulated them from the crisis of our politics.
But around the country there is a mood of disillusion, or even despair, about our ability to get things done.
He says people want clarity and a resolution. That is our mission today.
Geoffrey Cox, the Brexiter attorney general, is introducing Boris Johnson at his launch.
He says, when choosing the next leader, he has had to consider some ‘indispensable requirements”.
First, these are “extraordinary times, and we need a personality big enough, strong enough to rise to the political challenge” the country faces.
Second, we need someone who can provide leadership. A “managerial approach” will not suffice.
(That amounts to saying Jeremy Hunt would be too dull.)
Cox says the new leader must want the UK to be independent of the EU.
Third, the new leader must be able to pull together a brilliant team.
And, finally, the new leader must be able to unite the Conservative party and outfight Jeremy Corbyn and Nigel Farage in any corner of the country.
That is why he is proud to back Boris Johnson, Cox says.
This story, by the Financial Times’ George Parker, may come up at the Johnson launch.
Breaking:Cabinet note (from late May) shared with the FT reveals that Whitehall is not ready for No Deal in Octoberhttps://t.co/cO32ZZpBti pic.twitter.com/qfPBQj3tNl
The story starts:
Boris Johnson’s promise to take Britain out of the EU with or without a deal on the scheduled Brexit date of October 31 has been undermined by a confidential cabinet note warning that the country is still far from prepared for the disruption of a disorderly exit.
The note, seen by the Financial Times, says the government needs six to eight months of engagement with the pharmaceutical industry “to ensure adequate arrangements are in place to build stockpiles of medicines by October 31”.
It also says that it would take “at least 4-5 months” to improve trader readiness for the new border checks that might be required, including the provision of financial incentives to encourage exporters and importers to register for new schemes.
From the BBC’s Laura KuenssbergFrom the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg
Boris Johnson launch about to start - live on @BBCnews - whatever happens next his team has done quite some job getting all shades of tory party in the room - from Mogg and Francois to Brokenshire and rising ministers like Dowden and Frazer - it’s some coalitionBoris Johnson launch about to start - live on @BBCnews - whatever happens next his team has done quite some job getting all shades of tory party in the room - from Mogg and Francois to Brokenshire and rising ministers like Dowden and Frazer - it’s some coalition
Philip Hammond, the chancellor, has said that he does not think Boris Johnson would be able to deliver on his promise to take the UK out of the EU by 31 October, MLex’s Matthew Holehouse reports.Philip Hammond, the chancellor, has said that he does not think Boris Johnson would be able to deliver on his promise to take the UK out of the EU by 31 October, MLex’s Matthew Holehouse reports.
Hammond says Boris plan for Oct 31 won't happen. "I dont think so. I think it's not sensible for candidates to box themselves in. Parliament won't allow a no-deal exit and it may not be that easy to agree a deal in parliament." Adds: "very difficult or impossible."Hammond says Boris plan for Oct 31 won't happen. "I dont think so. I think it's not sensible for candidates to box themselves in. Parliament won't allow a no-deal exit and it may not be that easy to agree a deal in parliament." Adds: "very difficult or impossible."
Candidates like Boris can "test this for themselves" but the EU won't reopen the deal. Hammond has told Japanese business no-deal is no more likely. "Parliament isn't going to change its position that it wont licence no-deal."Candidates like Boris can "test this for themselves" but the EU won't reopen the deal. Hammond has told Japanese business no-deal is no more likely. "Parliament isn't going to change its position that it wont licence no-deal."
Hammond also said that taking the UK out of the EU by 31 October would be “impossible” and that trying to implement this policy would not be in the national interest.Hammond also said that taking the UK out of the EU by 31 October would be “impossible” and that trying to implement this policy would not be in the national interest.
From the Tory MP Zac GoldsmithFrom the Tory MP Zac Goldsmith
The audience here for Boris’s launch demonstrates beyond doubt that his is the only campaign that has drawn support from every part of the Conservative Party. He will unite the party and the country.The audience here for Boris’s launch demonstrates beyond doubt that his is the only campaign that has drawn support from every part of the Conservative Party. He will unite the party and the country.
The leading French newspaper Le Monde has an editorial saying it does not want to see Boris Johnson as prime minister, Le Monde’s Philippe Bernard reports.The leading French newspaper Le Monde has an editorial saying it does not want to see Boris Johnson as prime minister, Le Monde’s Philippe Bernard reports.
Boris Johnson à la tête du Royaume-Uni ? Non merci ! L’éditorial du Monde. https://t.co/p3LfifEYof via @lemondefrBoris Johnson à la tête du Royaume-Uni ? Non merci ! L’éditorial du Monde. https://t.co/p3LfifEYof via @lemondefr
From my colleague John Crace
Just arrived at Boris Johnson launch. AKA the jobs fair for Tory MPs
From the Mail’s Jason Groves
Jo Johnson spotted walking slowly through the park to his brother's campaign launch - gives a hollow laugh when asked if he feels like a condemned man approaching the gallows
From Steve Baker, the Brexiter Tory backing Boris Johnson
The #BackBoris launch is somewhat oversubscribed. pic.twitter.com/FByYyaiaiu
From the Mail on Sunday’s Harry Cole
half the cabinet and rising stars here. “An air of unstoppable inevitably” says one.
From the Telegraph’s Gordon Rayner
Even Bernard Hogan Howe, former Met Commissioner, is at the Boris launch. It is now standing room only.
Philip Hammond, the chancellor, is speaking at a Bloomberg event. There is a live feed here.
Hammond has just started, and at the moment he is talking about the tech sector,
Journalists arriving for the Boris Johnson launch are being offered “Boris bacon butties” and “Boris eggs Benedict” inside the venue, the Press Association reports. They are also being invited to wear “Back Boris” badges.
Sarah Vine, Michael Gove’s wife, has used her column in the Daily Mail today to write about her husband having to admit to having taken cocaine before he became an MP. The article does not contain any new information, but, in a reference to the unnamed source thought to have leaked the cocaine story to a journalist, she writes about what it feels like to have trust betrayed.
As traumatic as the past few days have been for us and our family, I actually think it has been all to the good ...
It has taught me some useful lessons about trust, friendship and the nature of both, which — whatever the outcome of the current race — are universally valid.
Specifically, friendships are judged by actions, not words. Trust may be freely given, but you should not always expect it in return, and certainly not when the intoxicating scent of power is in the air.
It would be fascinating to see David Cameron’s reaction when he reads this. Given what happened during the 2016 referendum campaign, Cameron does not feel Michael Gove is well placed to lecture anyone on trust.
The Daily Telegraph has today written up some polling it has commissioned from ComRes that appears to be hugely favourable to Boris Johnson, the paper’s star columnist and its favoured candidate for the Tory leadership. ComRes asked how people would vote with alternative candidates as leader and the results suggest they would do best under Johnson.
ComRes has also tried to estimate what a general election result might look like on the basis of these figures. It claims that polling suggests Johnson could produce a Commons majority of 140 for the Tories, while under all his rivals there would be a hung parliament.
The Telegraph has not put these figures on the front, but they are featured very prominently on a huge double-page spread on the inside.
But do these figures have any merit? In a lengthy Twitter thread, the politics professor Rob Ford explains why there are so many questionable assumptions in this research as to make these results highly suspect. His thread starts here.
For those confused about what this thread is discussing, its the "Boris would get a landslide" poll/reporting from yesterday evening: https://t.co/VbVnLsO9YZ
And here is one of his key points.
10/? There's nowt wrong with the fieldwork or representativeness of this poll. Its just badly designed, pretending to give info that its simply not possible for a poll to give. And neither our media, nor our politicians, seem capable on the whole of recognising this shortcoming
Ford’s analysis is very sound, although there is probably a kernel of truth in the ComRes research - that Johnson is the currently the Tory candidate with most appeal to former Tories who are currently supporting the Brexit party.
But this ignores another point - which is that the Conservatives probably cannot win a general election with this group alone. As my colleague Heather Stewart said in a recent story, this is an argument made recently by Robert Hayward, a Tory peer and respected psephologist. Here is an extract from her story.
[Hayward] said it would be impossible for the Tories to win an election with a leader who was not “transfer friendly”, and able to attract swing voters who were neither committed leavers nor remainers.
“A Tory prime minister or leader can’t win without Brexiteers; but you actually can’t win without the people who don’t strongly identify with one side or the other, and are looking for good government,” he said.
And he said Johnson may not be the right person to do that because many voters have a “distinct antipathy” towards him.
He said that while Johnson was very popular with a section of the electorate, he was also the leadership frontrunner who voters were most likely to say would make a bad prime minister.
Hayward pointed to a recent YouGov poll that suggested as many as 23% of respondents who had voted Conservative in 2017 thought Johnson would be a “very bad” prime minister.
Boris Johnson, the favourite in the Tory leadership contest, will break cover today and face the media for the first time in weeks, following complaints that such aversion to scrutiny is a travesty for someone likely to be the next prime minister. His team reject this claim, and say it is just that he has been focusing his efforts on talking to individual MPs, who at this stage are the electorate in the contest. He will be speaking this morning at his campaign launch.
As a warm-up, Liz Truss, the chief secretary to the Treasury and one of his most prominent backers, has been giving interviews on his behalf this morning. On the Today programme she did not have an easy time.
Truss said that Johnson had “nothing to hide” when challenged about his character, including past lies and gaffes.
Boris Johnson 'has nothing to hide', says Liz Truss
She claimed the fact that he was being attacked so ferociously by his opponents was a response to his “huge public appeal”. When the accusation that Johnson was “the worst foreign secretary in living memory” was put to her by the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, she replied:
I think it’s a sign - that he is being attacked shows the huge public appeal he has, the huge power he has to communicate.
His record is of being the most successful mayor of London we have had, of being an excellent foreign secretary who got countries around the world to take action against Russia by expelling their diplomats.
She said that anyone who blamed him for contributing to the ongoing imprisonment of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe in Iran was an apologist for the Iranian regime. In 2017 Johnson wrongly said that Zaghari-Ratcliffe was in the country teaching journalism when she was jailed. He subsequently retracted this, but his comment was cited by the Iranian authorities to help justify her ongoing detention. But Truss said it was wrong to blame Johnson for Zaghari-Ratcliffe being in jail. She said:
I think this is a complete misplacement of blame.
The people who are keeping Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe in jail are the Iranians.
This is an oppressive Iranian regime - I think it’s apologists for that regime who are putting the blame on Boris Johnson...
The fact is he did a brilliant job in my opinion as foreign secretary... and in the case that you’ve just mentioned, it’s the Iranian regime who have held this innocent women in jail - let’s put the blame where it is really deserved.
Here is the agenda for the day.
10.40am: Philip Hammond, the chanellor, speaks at a Bloomberg conference.
11am: Boris Johnson, the former foreign secretary, launches his campaign for the Tory leadership.
12pm: Theresa May faces Jeremy Corbyn at PMQs.
Around 1pm: MPs started debating the cross-party motion intended to allow the Commons to vote on legislation to block a no-deal Brexit. The vote is expected mid afternoon.
3.30pm: Sajid Javid, the home secretary, launches his campaign for the Tory leadership.
4pm: The Conservative backbench 1922 Committee holds a private hustings. The candidates speaking are, in order: Johnson, Esther McVey, Rory Stewart and Matt Hancock.
As usual, I will be covering breaking political news as it happens, as well as bringing you the best reaction, comment and analysis from the web, although I will be focusing mostly on the Tory leadership contest and the Commons debate. I plan to post a summary when I wrap up at the end of the day.
You can read all the latest Guardian politics articles here. Here is the Politico Europe round-up of this morning’s political news. And here is the PoliticsHome list of today’s top 10 must-reads.
If you want to follow me or contact me on Twitter, I’m on @AndrewSparrow.
I try to monitor the comments below the line (BTL) but it is impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer questions, and if they are of general interest, I will post the question and reply above the line (ATL), although I can’t promise to do this for everyone.
If you want to attract my attention quickly, it is probably better to use Twitter.