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Tory leadership: Boris Johnson launches campaign to be next prime minister – live news
Brexit: MPs debate cross-party move to allow them to pass bill blocking no-deal – live news
(about 2 hours later)
A no-deal Brexit will be “commercial suicide” with tens of thousands of jobs already lost in the UK because of the political uncertainty, manufacturing representatives have said.
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.
As Boris Johnson was launching his campaign for the Tory leadership, industry representatives were telling MPs that crashing out of the bloc was “economic vandalism”.
In the debate, Sir Oliver Letwin, the Tory former cabinet minister who is backing the cross-party motion, says a government would not have to prorogue parliament to facilitate a no-deal Brexit. A new prime minister could avoid MPs amending any legislation to block a no-deal departure just by not scheduling any votes.
Seamus Nevin, the chief economist with Make UK which represents some of the country’s largest manufacturers, said:
Letwin says people think 31 October is a long time away. But if MPs do not establish a process now to give themselves a mechanism to block a no-deal Brexit, there will not be time later. MPs are away in August, and then the Commons will only sit for two weeks in September, and for two weeks in October.
There is a direct link between politicians talking up the prospect of no-deal and British firms losing customers overseas and British people losing jobs.
If we do not take the fuse out now, we will not be able to disassemble the bomb in either September or October.
He told the House of Commons Brexit select committee that some businesses were already “downsizing or completely shutting down in the UK”. Some were very profitable and leaders in their sector, but were struggling because of the political uncertainty.
He says he has taken the “very uncomfortable” step of signing a motion tabled by Jeremy Corbyn, whose policies he profoundly disagrees with, because he does not want a no-deal Brexit on his conscience.
Nevin said he was aware of one company, which he could not name because of a confidentiality agreement, that was planning to quit Britain. “That will result in several thousand job losses,” he said adding that a no-deal Brexit “would be nothing short of an act of economic vandalism” and “undo 25 years of economic progress and consign a generation of highly skilled workers to the scrapheap.”
Sajid Javid, the home secretary, was due to be holding his leadership launch at 3.30pm.
This is what the Press Association has filed on the Theresa May/Jeremy Corbyn exchanges from PMQs.
But that has been held up because the no-deal debate is still running. Javid has to be in the Commons to vote, and the division is not due until 4pm, or later.
Theresa May was urged to remind her potential successors of the dangers of a no-deal Brexit, amid criticism of her industrial legacy.
Back in the Commons, Ken Clarke, the Tory pro-European, is speaking now. He says that if the Conservatives were in opposition, they would be supporting this motion. When David Cameron was in opposition, he favoured the idea of control of Commons business being handed over to a business committee, he says.
The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, said MPs sitting behind and alongside the prime minister needed to be told again about the “disastrous” impact of the UK leaving the EU without an agreement, as he took aim at the government’s record on cars, steel and renewables.
Turning back to the Tory leadership, Boris Johnson was keen to present himself earlier as the candidate best able to unite the Conservative party. (See 11.12am, 12.26pm and 3.08pm.)
But May hit back by insisting Corbyn’s warning would be a little more sincere if he had not consistently voted against her agreement, and thereby increased the risk of a no-deal Brexit.
But this claim has been undermined by new evidence published by the academic Tim Bale, a specialist in party membership, showing Conservative members who are backing Johnson for the leadership are more rightwing than those supporting Michael Gove and Jeremy Hunt, and more rightwing than the average for a Tory member.
Speaking at PMQs, Corbyn said: “The country is in crisis over Brexit. Manufacturing is in crisis. The prime minister’s government has brought us to this point.
In an article for the Conversation, Bale says his analysis, based on survey data from YouGov, also shows Johnson supporters are significantly more in favour of a no-deal Brexit than the average for Conservative members (quite a feat – overall 66% of members are in favour of no-deal; among Johnson supporters, this rises to 85%). Johnson supporters are also more likely to want less emphasis on climate change than Tory members on average.
“And now the Conservative party is once again in the process of foisting a new prime minister on the country without the country having a say through a general election.
Bale says Johnson’s backers are also more likely to have joined the party after the 2016 referendum. Bale concludes:
“This prime minister created the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in July 2016. Has the prime minister actually delivered an industrial strategy since then?”
We can only guess as to how many of Johnson’s supporters were former Ukip sympathisers switching to the Tories, but it certainly seems possible. And, who knows, given that one doesn’t have to renounce one’s membership of the Conservative party to become a registered supporter of the Brexit party, perhaps some of them hold a candle for Nigel Farage as well as Johnson.
May accused Corbyn of writing his question before listening to her previous answer, in which she had laid out details of the government’s industrial strategy across the country and in the Midlands to the Tory MP Michael Fabricant.
Whether the country will be as pleased as they will be if Johnson does end up making it all the way to No 10, however, remains to be seen.
Corbyn went on to warn UK car production has been “virtually cut in half” in the past 11 months, saying: “Ford has also said that a no-deal Brexit would put a further 6,000 UK jobs at risk, with thousands more at risk in the supply chain. Nissan, Toyota, BMW and JLR have all said similar.
Leave.EU, the pro-Brexit group co-founded by Arron Banks, has been encouraging Brexiters, like former Ukip supporters, to join the Conservative party to influence its decisions. It called the campaign Blue Wave. It is hard to know what effect this has had, but the Bale research suggests Brexiter entryism is having some impact.
“Will the prime minister take this opportunity to reiterate her government’s assessment that a no-deal Brexit would be disastrous for Britain? I think some of her colleagues behind her and alongside her need reminding of that.”
The SNP’s Peter Grant is speaking now in the debate. He says that in other parliaments, such as Holyrood, parliament decides on its own business, not the executive. That seems to work perfectly well, he says.
May, in her reply, noted: “It would come a little bit more sincerely from him if he hadn’t gone through the lobbies regularly and consistently voting to increase the chances of no-deal by voting against the deal.”
Anna Soubry raises a point of order. She says this debate was meant to be lasting an hour, but there are only 20 minutes left. Will other MPs get to speak?
Downing Street has confirmed, to no great surprise, that Tory MPs will be whipped to oppose Labour’s attempt to set aside time later this month to potentially block a no-deal Brexit under May’s successor.
John Bercow, the Commons Speaker, says that although the debate was listed for an hour, it could run until 8.33pm. He does not expect it to run for that long, he says. But he expects several other MPs to speak.
A No 10 source said the tactic was “troubling”, adding:
Back in the debate, the Change UK MP Anna Soubry asks Barclay if the government thinks it would be acceptable for a prime minister to prorogue parliament to facilitate a no-deal Brexit.
It is an important constitutional principle and we will whip accordingly.
Barclay says this prime minister has been clear about her opposition to that. Proroguing parliament would involve the Queen (she prorogues parliament, on the advice of her government), and it would be wrong to involve her in an issue such as this, Barclay says.
In recent months the government has not formally opposed votes on Labour’s opposition day debates, the format under which this one is being held.
Turning back to the Tory leadership, this is the tweet Boris Johnson has posted about his launch today.
A spokesman for Jeremy Corbyn said that even if the vote were lost today, the party would seek other parliamentary mechanisms to block a no-deal Brexit, such as a potential no-confidence vote in a prime minister pushing for such a course. He said:
Today I set out my vision for sensible, pragmatic, One Nation Conservatism. We must deliver Brexit by Oct 31st, restore faith in our democracy, and support the wealth creators that fund our vital public services. Together, we will succeed > https://t.co/tGRXu94CmT pic.twitter.com/x9HfKOP0Qu
If we are not successful, we will find other mechanisms to arrive at the same outcomes.
Johnson is trying here to show he has support from both sides of the party. One picture features backers from the centrist/remain wing (Chloe Smith, James Brokenshire and Grant Shapps) and another features Brexiter rightwingers from a different faction (Iain Duncan Smith, Priti Patel and Nadine Dorries).
Here are the main points from the Boris Johnson launch.
In the debate, Stephen Barclay, the Brexit secretary, is now speaking for the government.
Johnson, the former foreign secretary and clear favourite in the Tory leadership contest, reaffirmed his desire to take the UK out of the EU by 31 October with or without a deal - while refusing to say he would resign if the UK missed this deadline. Asked if he would make this a resigning issue, he said MPs would accept they had to implement Brexit. He explained:
He says Labour frequently objects to the concept of a “blind Brexit”. But this is a blind motion. It does not say what would happen on Tuesday 25 June, the day that would be set aside for a bill to be passed trying to block a no-deal Brexit.
I think maturity and a sense of duty will prevail. I think it will be very difficult for friends in parliament to obstruct the will of the people and simply to block Brexit.
UPDATE: Here is a clip.
I think if we now block it, collectively as parliamentarians we will reap the whirlwind and we will face mortal retribution from the electorate.
Brexit Secretary @SteveBarclay "...he [Sir Keir Starmer[ keeps telling me how much he doesn't like a blind Brexit, and yet what we have before the House is in essence, a blind motion..." pic.twitter.com/R5vmcVciA6
Johnson said that he did not want to leave without a deal, but it said it was essential to prepare for no-deal to increase the chances of getting an agreement. He said he would appoint a new Brext negotiating team that would “hit the ground running” and engage with the EU in the “friendliest possible way”. And he said it would be fatal for both main parties if they failed to deliver Brexit.
John Bercow, the Commons Speaker, interrupts the debate to announce the results of an election for the chair of the Northern Ireland affairs committee. The Conservative Simon Hoare has been elected. He replaces Andrew Murrison, who has recently been made a minister.
The real existential threat that I now think faces both parties if we fail to get this thing done. And I think that in the end maturity and a sense of duty will prevail.
Sky’s Lewis Goodall was not impressed.
Extraordinary. Asked by @GuardianHeather what his plan is if MPs block no deal Johnson’s reply is “you know I think it’s going to be very difficult for colleagues to block Brexit because it is, after all, the will of the people.”Perhaps he’s been asleep for the last 6 months.
Johnson brushed aside a complaint about offensive language he has used in the past, saying he thought it was important for politicians to speak directly. He was asked about a column he wrote saying women in burqas looked liked letter boxes, but in his reply he made a general point. He said:
I want to make a general point about the way I do things and the language I use.
Occasionally some plaster comes off the ceiling as a result of a phrase I may have used, or the way that phrase has been wrenched out of context by those who wish for reasons of their own to caricature.
But I think it’s vital for us as politicians to remember that one of the reasons that the public feels alienated now from us all as a breed, is because too often they feel that we are muffling and veiling our language, not speaking as we find - covering everything up in bureaucratic platitudes, when what they want to hear is what we genuinely think.
He refused to confirm a previous admission that he took cocaine as a student. Asked if an account he gave to GQ about this was true, he replied:
I think the account of this event when I was 19 has appeared many, many times.
I think what most people in this country want us to really focus on in this campaign, if I may say so, is what we can do for them and what our plans are for this great country of ours.
Asked by another journalist if he had ever broken the law, he said he could not “swear that I have always observed a top speed limit, in this country, of 70mph”.
Sky’s Tamara Cohen has the GQ quote.
Boris Johnson does not dispute the GQ interview on drugs read out to him by @JasonGroves1 . Here it is. He says the public are more interested in what he’d do for them. pic.twitter.com/j16ztBOcxr
Johnson claimed that his record as London mayor showed that he could provide a “sizzling synergy” - promoting growth, thus providing revenue for public services. He explained:
We can fight for the teachers, and the nurses and the firemen, and the armed service personnel, and the police, precisely because we are willing to encourage the tech wizards and the shopkeepers and the taxi drivers and, yes, the bankers as well.
We enable the extraordinary success of our private sector with a strong, committed, passionate, well-funded public sector.
It is that synergy, that symbiosis, that sizzling synergy, that is so fertile in generating further economic growth, that is the formula, that is the way we will bridge the opportunity gap and bring the country together, responding to the mighty plea of the majority of our people for fundamental change.
He claimed that he had successfully cut crime in London by promoting stop and search. Talking about his time as mayor, he said:
We had kids losing their lives in our city at a rate of 28-30 a year, teenagers were being stabbed to death in London. We had to take some very tough decisions.
I believe, frankly, there is nothing kinder or more loving that you can do if you see a young kid coming down the street who may be carrying a knife, than to ask him to turn out, or her, almost invariably him, to turn out his pockets and produce that knife.
That is not discriminatory, that is a kind, compassionate, loving thing to do. And it worked.
We ended up, as I said just now, we ended up cutting serious youth violence by I think 32%. Knife crime went down, the murder rate went down.
My colleague Peter Walker says this claim has been debunked.
Boris Johnson truth alert - he claims Operation Blunt 2, an increase in police stop-and-search, "saved lives" and reduced knife crime. BUT: official Home Office study in 2016 said there was "no discernible crime-reducing effects" from the operation.https://t.co/VtfXhdIXwN pic.twitter.com/KtZubdBoEV
He said he had done more than anyone else in the Conservative party to defend business. Asked about the time he once declared “fuck business” at a Foreign Office reception, he said this was not his stance. He went on:
I don’t think there is anybody in the modern Conservative Party who can honestly be said to have done more to stick up for business, even in the toughest of times.
I will stick up for them.
This is from the Tory Brexiter Nadine Dorries.
At the #BackBoris launch. No tears this time. He gave long, full, substantive and serious answers to every question. He’s going all the way! pic.twitter.com/rcuzjMiCIw
My colleague John Crace says this tweet says more about Dorries than it does about Boris Johnson.
Given that Boris Johnson failed to answer any questions, this probably tells you all you need to know about Nad's critical faculties https://t.co/2BJac74gq0
This is what some political journalists and commentators are saying about the Boris Johnson launch.
From ITV’s Robert Peston
.@BorisJohnson has been spectacularly dull. Uncharacteristically dull. His supporters will be thrilled. The bandwagon rolls on
From the Mirror’s Pippa Crerar
If it’s any consolation for Team Boris, I can 100% confidently say that it went better for him than last time. pic.twitter.com/0cGMJih7zn
From BuzzFeed’s Stuart Millar
Boris Johnson's campaign launch speech was all about being serious and businesslike. But he's completely undermining that with his answers to the very good and legitimate questions: dismissive, evasive, flippant, blustering, rambling...
From my colleague Peter Walker
This first media scrutiny of Boris Johnson in the campaign is simultaneously showing him to be slippery, avoidant and unwilling to answer difficult questions, and highly unlikely to stop his trajectory towards No 10. This is where we seemingly are today.
From the Financial Times’ Sebastian Payne
The biggest enemy to Johnson’s victory has always been himself. His professionalised, even slightly dull, performance will have pleased his supporters and campaign team.So the Boris bandwagon rolls on - read more on the @FinancialTimes live bloghttps://t.co/pqL4cq0w8n
From the Daily Mirror’s Kevin Maguire
Cowardice may be added to the list of reasons slippery serial liar Boris Johnson's unfit to be Prime Minister when he took only six questions and dodged answers
From the Sun’s Steve Hawkes
Boris didn't screw up and great language as normal.. but precious little detail - not least on Brexit - and he's hardly shed the accusation he has something to hide. Just six questions from the press and his supporters heckled @BethRigby .. Could do better
From the Observer’s Michael Savage
Was the Boris Johnson launch a success?The test is a low bar - did he give any MPs backing/considering backing him reason to back away? No. So his team will leave happy.
From my colleague Jessica Elgot
The most depressing thing this morning was actual sitting Members of Parliament *booed* a journalist for asking a question about something a candidate wrote in a newspaper column. Hope some of them have pause when they watch it back.
HuffPost has more on that booing here.
Here is my colleague Jessica Elgot’s news story about the Boris Johnson campaign launch.
'Brexit delay means defeat': Boris Johnson launches campaign
To anyone familiar with Boris Johnson, and in particular the performances he has given at Conservative party conference fringe meetings in recent years, that was a predictable Johnson stump speech – perhaps a bit shorter on jokes than usual, but generally heavy on sunshine and optimism, short on policy, and focused entirely on how his record as London mayor shows he is a mainstream politician who can deliver prosperity while raising standards for everyone. A colleague will be looking at the truth of this proposition shortly (and it was striking how Johnson had almost nothing to say about his record as foreign secretary), but this fitted in quite well with what now seems to be the Johnson campaign USP: the claim that he is the unity candidate, acceptable to all wings of the party. Tory MPs and members will not have been particularly surprised by any of this, but it probably did the job, and his passage about how beating Ken Livingstone taught him how to beat Jeremy Corbyn may have struck a chord. Overall, the most impressive thing about the event was probably the large and diverse crowd of Tory MPs who turned up.
On policy, he has almost nothing to say at all. In fact, even Rory Stewart’s new age sermon last night probably contained more in in the way of specific commitments. Johnson seems quite happy to make policy through the pages of the Daily Telegraph, but curiously reluctant to discuss it in public. It remains to be seen whether or not this will change as the campaign goes on. Many observers will see this as a weakness, although arguably micro-policy is overrated in a leadership election, which is a test of character. (I remember thinking Yvette Cooper’s campaign was doomed in 2015 when I heard her mulling over whether to accept some minor benefit policy proposal, or whether just to “offer a review”, at an event where what was needed was big picture vision.)
Johnson got through the questions without major mishap, although at times his evasiveness was particularly transparent. Faced with a question about his cocaine use (and there are legitimate questions about why this issue is damaging Michael Gove more than Johnson), he just waffled. And he got even more circumlocutory when my colleague Heather Stewart asked if he would resign if he could not deliver Brexit by 31 October. His newfound friends in the ERG will have noted he did not say yes.
Johnson was no better than any of the other candidates have been (with the exceptions of Stewart and Mark Harper, who have been a bit more candid) when it came to explaining how he would deliver Brexit. His account of how the vote to leave was partly a protest vote from people who felt ignored by Westminster sounded just like Theresa May circa autumn 2016. At one point, in his waffly answer to Heather, Johnson even started sounding like a pro-European. But the most revealing thing was when he said he was looking forward to the moment when Brexit was no longer a headline issue. (See 11.18am.) Given how badly it has all gone, it is no surprise that one of the key architects of this crisis is keen to talk about something else.
The press conference is now over. There were plenty of other journalists wanting to answer questions, but Boris Johnson would not take them.
PMQs starts in 10 minutes. I almost always cover PMQs live, but for the next half an hour or so I will focus instead on unpacking the Johnson launch, with a summary, analysis and reaction.
