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Tory leadership: MPs start voting in second ballot - live news Tory leadership: Johnson, Hunt, Gove, Stewart, Javid through, as Raab eliminated – live news
(about 2 hours later)
Simon Jack, the BBC’s business editor, has written a good report of a private meeting that Boris Johnson, the favourite in the Tory leadership contest, had with around 40 business leaders this morning. Johnson is still under pressure to prove he is pro-business in the light of the row about his “fuck business” comment a year ago. And here are the results with percentages, and changes from last Thursday.
According to Jack, Johnson said he would extend the Brexit transition, which is due to end at the end of next year under current plans, for an extra 12 months, until December 2021. Jack says: Boris Johnson - 126 - up 12 - 40%
Mr Johnson’s plan appeared to be to defer the negotiations over the problematic Irish backstop till after the UK leaves the EU on 31 October. He proposed extending the transition period till December 2021, which would give everyone enough time to negotiate a free-trade deal and come up with the technology to ensure no physical infrastructure would be required at the Irish border. Jeremy Hunt – 46 - up 3 - 15%
Extending the transition until December 2021 is one feature of the Malthouse compromise, a plan that Johnson has enthusiastically backed. But in his recent public remarks on Brexit he has not specifically flagged up this part of the plan as one that he would pursue. Michael Gove – 41 - up 4 - 13%
Jack also says that, although Johnson restated his commitment to leave the EU by 31 October with or without a deal, his audience were not convinced he meant it. Jack says: Rory Stewart – 37 - up 18 - 12%
When asked whether he was prepared to leave with no deal on 31 October, he said that it was not his preferred option, we had to prepare for no-deal and if necessary go through with it. Sajid Javid – 33 - up 10 - 11%
One attendee I spoke to felt that “his heart wasn’t in that comment”, another said, “the look in his eyes made you question whether he really meant that”. Dominic Raab – 30 - up 3 - 10%
There have been other hints from Johnson that he will shift on his 31 October deadline. At his campaign launch he refused to say he would resign if the UK was still in the EU after October, and in an interview with the World at One on Friday he said it would be wrong “at this stage” to signal a willingness to delay Brexit into November. Gillan confirms that five candidates will go through:
Jack also says Johnson’s decision to leave Liz Truss, the chief secretary to the Treasury, to answer questions after he left did not go down well. Boris Johnson
[Johnson] left Liz Truss, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, to answer questions after he left the breakfast. The attendees who I spoke to found her unconvincing - “she lost the room” according to one. As a long-time Johnson lieutenant she may yet win herself a big job. Jeremy Hunt
More from the committee corridor, where Tory MPs are voting. Michael Gove
Voting opens in the second ballot for the Tory leadership. Among the first to vote is Ian Liddell-Grainger who declares for Boris Johnson Rory Stewart
As ever, the various candidates’ teams are camped outside, ticking names off clipboards. It’s all a bit student politics. Amber Rudd confirms - to no surprise - she’s still backing Jeremy Hunt as she arrives. Voting pretty brisk so far. Sajid Javid
Former candidate Mark Harper refuses to say how he has voted And all five will be in the debate tonight.
Rory Stewart has just voted (for himself) for Tory leadership.How confident are you?‘Not that confident. Within one or two votes.’@ITVborder Cheryl Gillan, the joint acting chair of the 1922 Committee, is now reading out the results.
Javid evidently confident of making the cut - tells us he is “looking forward to the debate this evening” All 313 Tory MPs voted, she says. There were no spoiled ballot papers.
Tracey Crouch reveals she voted for Boris Johnson Boris Johnson - 126
And here is Steve Barclay, the Brexit secretary, tweeting about the reciprocal voting rights treaty the UK has signed with Luxembourg. (See 3.17pm.) Jeremy Hunt – 46
There is nothing more important than securing and protecting the rights of our citizens. That is exactly what PM of Luxembourg @Xavier_Bettel and I have done today by signing a reciprocal voting rights treaty. pic.twitter.com/Jg8Kp0buor Michael Gove – 41
Xavier Bettel, the prime minister of Luxembourg, says more than 1,000 Luxembourgers in the UK will benefit. Rory Stewart – 37
That's why Luxembourg has signed an agreement with the UK that will safeguard the voting rights of the over 1000 Luxembourgish citizens living in the UK. This means that they will continue to be able to vote in local elections - no matter how Brexit will turn out. 2/3 pic.twitter.com/RsHna0cww1 Sajid Javid – 33
The Brexit minister Robin Walker faced criticism from MPs from all sides when he answered an urgent question on citizens’ rights after Brexit in the Commons earlier. (See 1.02pm.) The Conservative MP Alberto Costa said: Dominic Raab – 30
It is inconceivable that that British government let along a Conservative government could allow the rights of British nationals, living, working, studying in the EU to vaporise on the 31 October. Room filling up for the result of the second ballot of the Tory leadership results
The Lib Dem Brexit spokesman Tom Brake said the “charlatans” and “snake oil” running for leadership of the Tory party would “again tonight on TV be claiming that no deal will present no difficulties”. He said what they meant was “it will present no difficulties for them” but it would mean reciprocal health care for UK citizens retired in the EU would disappear. This is from my colleague Peter Walker, who is in committee room 14 where the result is due to announced at 6pm.
Walker told MPs that the government had written to all member states regarding health care and that the government remained “committed to delivering on citizens’ rights” and had already secured a bilateral agreement on voting rights with Spain, Portugal and Luxembourg. We’re in the room - committee room 14 to be precise - for the result of second round of MPs’ voting for next Tory leader. Due at 6pm-ish. Johnson will be top again, of course, but who will come last and/or fail to reach the 33-vote threshold? Dicey for Raab, Javid & Stewart.
MPs have starting voting in the next round of the Conservative leadership contest. Stephen Crabb, the former cabinet minister who is backing Sajid Javid for the leadership, has just told BBC News the party should stop choosing Etonians as leader. He said:
This is from my colleague Peter Walker. I’ve got nothing against Etonians. The very best boss I ever had in working life was an Etonian, David Cameron, but I think there is an issue for our party if we keep going back to the same school over and over again for our senior politicians. There is something not quite right about that. We pride ourselves on being a meritocratic party ... We should genuinely look like that at the top of the party.
And the second round of Tory leadership voting is ... open. Early people into the committee room to cast their vote included Jo Johnson, Antoinette Sandbach and Sarah Newton. Of course two of the candidates still in the contest, Boris Johnson and Rory Stewart, are Etonians.
Last week a reader asked for a graphic showing which parts of the country are represented by the Tory leadership candidates. So here it is - showing the constituencies represented by the six candidates still in the race, as well as by the four candidates who have pulled out. This is from the Telegraph’s Christopher Hope.
The Conservatives dominate seats in the south of England and so it’s no great surprise that four of the six candidates left in the contest are from seats in the south east of England or London. Three of them - Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove and Dominic Raab - are from just one county, Surrey (which is a fine place, but perhaps not especially representative of the UK as a whole). Reminder: senior figure in the Government (neutral and not aligned to any campaign) told me last week that @BorisJohnson could be "within touching distance" of 200 MPs by the end of this week #ToryLeadershipContest
Rory Stewart is the only candidate from a seat in the north, Penrith and The Border in Cumbria. That does not directly explain why he is the person most at odds with what all the rest of the candidates are saying on the key issue of the campaign, Brexit, but it may be a factor. Stewart has spoken repeatedly about how he fears the sheep farmers he represents would suffer very badly under a no-deal. Boris Johnson represents Uxbridge and South Ruislip on the edge of west London, which is not an area dependent on lamb exports. The SNP has described today’s YouGov poll showing a majority of Conservative party members would prefer to go ahead with Brexit even if it led to the break-up of the UK as a “disaster” for Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Conservative leader. (See 11.05am.) This is from Keith Brown, the SNP’s deputy leader (or depute leader, to use the Scots word the SNP prefers).
Nicola Sturgeon is expected to warn that the next Tory prime minister will cause more economic damage to Scotland in their first 18 weeks in power than Margaret Thatcher and John Major caused in 18 years in government. The Tory party has clearly gone off the deep end – with their Brexit obsession pushing the party further towards the extremes.
In a speech to mark 20 years of devolution in Edinburgh on Wednesday evening, Sturgeon is due to attack Conservative leadership candidates for failing to rule out a no-deal Brexit this October. Tory members are so determined to deliver a damaging Brexit they are happy to watch our economy collapse and open the door of No 10 for Nigel Farage to take control of the UK.
She will argue the drive to set up the Scottish parliament in 1999 came from a hunger for social and political justice following 18 years of Tory rule from Westminster; the Tories ran the Scottish Office – the UK government department charged with running the country, despite having only a small minority of Scottish MPs. And far from prioritising the union, it’s clear Scotland means so little to the members of the Conservative and Unionist party that two thirds are happy for Scotland to become independent if it secures Brexit.
Speaking to Reform Scotland, a centre right think tank, she is due to say: And with this poll suggesting that almost a quarter of Tory members in Scotland would prefer to deliver Brexit for their membership down south even if it means an end to the union it’s becoming clearer that Ruth Davidson has little authority in her party in Scotland. This poll is an utter disaster for her and shows that her authority is seeping away at an incredible rate, leaving her increasingly isolated.
Immense damage to Scottish communities was caused by an out of touch Conservative party that governed, unelected in Scotland, for 18 years. But now I fear a similarly out of touch Tory party, led by an even more reckless leader, could cause as much damage as Mrs Thatcher and John Major did. Here is the BBC’s Emily Maitlis showing the set being used tonight for the Tory leadership debate. There are five chairs on stage at the moment, but it is possible that the BBC might not need them all (if more than one candidate gets eliminated).
But while they took 18 years, he, whoever it is, could do as much – or more – damage in just 18 weeks. Because by the end of October, Scotland could be heading for a no-deal Brexit. From the BBC’s Iain Watson
And crashing out of Europe will be the springboard for a new independence referendum, she said. fwiw team Stewart -incl Stewart himself - appeared more upbeat than teams Javid/Raab - but maybe looks are deceptive. Result in just under an hour https://t.co/DmHBTsgwPw
That’s why, for all the undoubted successes of devolution, this has to be a time for taking stock. Scotland must have the option of choosing a different course. The Sun’s Steve Hawkes has had a go at forecasting the result.
The next six months could offer challenges greater than anything we have seen in the last 20 years. In my view they will inevitably require greater powers for Scotland – indeed the full powers that come with independence. FWIW I reckon Boris gets around 135, Hunt hits 50, Gove thirdBelieve Raab makes the cutbut Sajid and Rory go - Rory could make it if Hunt falls short of 50
The Thatcher/Major governments are blamed by Labour and the Scottish National party for their aggressive industrial and privatisation policies, which led to significant job losses and closures in Scotland’s heavy industries, including ship-building and coal mining, decimating communities as in other parts of the UK. From the BBC’s Chris Mason
Boris Johnson, the former foreign secretary, has has received the backing of Andrea Leadsom ahead of the second ballot for the Tory leadership contest. Johnson was far ahead in the first ballot last week, with 114 votes, more than the next three contenders, Jeremy Hunt (43), Michael Gove (37) and Dominic Raab (27) combined. Sajid Javid, who got 23 votes last week, and Rory Stewart (19) are also still in the contest. The candidate who comes last will get eliminated later, as well as any candidate receiving fewer than 33 votes. Stewart’s team say they think they have 33 votes, but “it’s tight”. Raab’s team say they are “quietly confident” of reaching this threshold, and Javid’s team say it is going to be “close”. All candidates still in the race after the results are announced at 6pm will then take part in a BBC hustings starting at 8pm. Bob Seely has switched from Michael Gove to Boris Johnson, reports @MarkerJParker
Conservative members would be prepared to sacrifice the union, destroy their party or suffer economic damage rather than give up on Brexit being delivered, a poll has suggested. (See 11.05am.) Nicky Morgan, the Tory MP who chairs the Commons Treasury committee, has warned that borrowing would have to rise under the spending plans proposed by some Tory leadership candidates. Echoing a warning delivered by the chancellor, Philip Hammond, yesterday, Morgan told TheCityUK annual conference that a new prime minister would have around £15bn of “fiscal headroom” set aside to help the economy in the event of a possible no-deal Brexit. She went on:
Jeremy Hunt has implied that Boris Johnson could not deliver Brexit because EU leaders so not trust him. Speaking to the Evening Standard, he said: Were the UK to leave with a deal he [the prime minister] would of course release that headroom as additional spending on other priorities. In either scenario the money will be spent, and in either scenario the chancellor believes he will stay within his fiscal rule. Of course, we are seeing some candidates that say they want a no deal but they also want to spend the headroom. I’ll leave it to all of you to make your conclusions.
I’ve not met a single European leader who doesn’t want to avoid no deal and if you put in front of them someone they are prepared to negotiate with, someone they trust — no one ever does a deal with someone they don’t trust — I am that person. Any new spending commitments or tax cuts made by a new prime minister in the coming months that are paid for by using the so-called fiscal headroom that has been built up – while at the same time leaving open the possibility that these commitments would still take place were the UK to leave the EU without a deal – the candidate and the new chancellor may find such a course of action will not be compatible with the current fiscal rules.
Michael Gove has urged Tory MPs not to put Rory Stewart in the final two for the ballot of party members. In an article for the Times (paywall), he suggested this would polarise the party because Stewart did not believe in Brexit. He said: The ballot has now closed. The papers are being counted, and the result is due at 6pm.
It would be a mistake to put forward two candidates to the final round who will polarise our party. We need candidates who both embrace Brexit’s opportunities and can deliver. I’m the only candidate in this race who both believes in Brexit through and through and who all the other contenders would willingly serve under. These are from Newsnight’s Nicholas Watt.
In an interview on the Today programme this morning Sajid Javid also claimed Stewart was a remain candidate. Stewart denied this, and said he was now committed to delivering “a moderate and pragmatic Brexit”. (See 10.32am.) The Rory Stewart camp can (briefly) relax. Ken Clarke has just voted. Only 16 mins to go @RoryStewartUK
Rory Stewart has been rounded on by his fellow Conservative leadership candidates as they fear he has the momentum to take on Boris Johnson, while his background as a probable MI6 spy also came under scrutiny. An arch brexiteer predicts: Boris Johnson vote up, Jeremy Hunt fine, Michael Gove OK, Dominic Raab on the cusp, Sajid Javid struggling, Rory Stewart a complete wild card
Britain is being led to a no-deal Brexit by a political elite “which has great difficulties discerning and telling the truth”, the UK’s former ambassador to the EU has said, in a withering assessment of the Conservative candidates vying to be prime minister. As Daniel Boffey reports, Ivan Rogers, who resigned from his post in 2017 after clashing with Theresa May’s senior advisers, suggested it was “probable” the UK would leave the EU without a deal in what he described as an act of “economic lunacy”.He said the Tory leadership election brought to mind the quote of the French statesman Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord about the Bourbons in that they had “learned nothing and forgotten nothing”. More from the committee room where Tory MPs are voting.
Prof David King, the former chief scientist, has expressed alarm at the prospect of Boris Johnson becoming prime minister because the Tory MP oversaw “devastating” cuts in efforts to tackle the climate crisis when he was foreign secretary and then wanted to hush them up. Asked how many votes he thinks he's got, Rory says: "32, 34 ... 31, 35?"
Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, has rejected an appeal by the UK’s Brexit secretary for the full gamut of citizens’ rights in the withdrawal agreement to be protected in the event of a no-deal exit. Asked if he would share how he voted, Philip Hammond replies: “Certainly not!”
Philip Hammond is so frustrated by Theresa May’s plans to spend billions of pounds on projects to shore up her legacy that he considered resigning, according to government sources. Commenting on this report, the prime minister’s spokesman told journalists: May has just voted. Asked for any clues, she said: “As I said last week, none of your business”. Fair enough.
It’s been quite hard keeping up with all the anonymous quotes from friends of the chancellor in recent days. But I would simply say he was in cabinet this morning and offering his views across a wide range of topics. Speaking an hour before voting closed Rory Stewart admitted his campaign was on a knife-edge Asked if he was confident he replied “no!”, adding: “I’m right on the edge. I’m one or two votes off”.
Downing Street has said Theresa May is backing the Labour MP Stella Creasy’s call for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority to offer more support for MPs with young children. This is from my colleague Peter Walker. Tellers from Team Boris bang their tables in the corridor as new convert @MattHancock arrives to vote. Hancock: ‘I didn’t get that last week...’#ToryLeadership
Pretty strong words from Downing Street in support of @stellacreasy on the issue of how the parliamentary standards authority fails to support MPs who are parents. May would "urge" Ipsa to look at the problem, her spokesman says.Background here: https://t.co/K0ocdfBfH3 pic.twitter.com/FpIGXSJZ7M The Independent’s John Rentoul has been running a sweepstake on the results.
Dominic Raab, the Tory leadership contender, has released a campaign video today stressing his commitment to education, and to expanding apprenticeships. Sweepstake closes when ballot does at 5pm. 109 entries for the sweepstake so far. Median guesses: Johnson 131 Hunt 48Gove 40Stewart 35Raab 29 Javid 28
Giving young people a good education is crucial if we are going to improve social mobility. Everyone should have the opportunity to go as far as their talents can take them.Join me in my campaign to build a fairer society and a #FairerBritain pic.twitter.com/izT26BFsC4
Paul Crowther, the man who threw a milkshake over Nigel Farage during a city centre walkabout, has been sentenced to 150 hours’ unpaid work, the Press Association reports. He has also been ordered to pay £350 in compensation to Farage for damage to a lapel microphone and for suit cleaning. Crowther admitted common assault and criminal damage.
Here’s the full story:
Nigel Farage milkshake attacker ordered to pay Brexiter's suit-cleaning bill
From the Sunday Times’ Tim Shipman
1) No hack really knows the nos2) Hunt/Gove probably still ahead in 40-50 range3) If Javid short of 33 and Stewart over4) either Hunt/Gove do a deal or5) Rory could be taking on Boris6) Boris should beat him but he’s a disruptor and Boris has never been out disrupted before
Alberto Costa, the Conservative MP who pushed for a rethink of government policy on European citizens’ rights post-Brexit, said it was no surprise that Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator rejected the UK proposal.
In the House of Commons later today, he will use an urgent question to call on the government to launch a UK taskforce to address the issue. He told the Guardian:
“The UK government needs to do a lot lot more. Simply to write a letter to Barnier and expect a positive response is not good enough. The government have not been trying enough to secure EU citizens’s rights.”
Costa, whose parents immigrated from Italy to the UK, was forced to resign as parliamentary private secretary to the Scotland secretary, David Mundell, in February after tabling the amendment to ringfence EU citizens’ right, against what was then government policy.
He won unanimous backing in the house and is now calling for a taskforce to be set up to secure all rights of EU citizens in the event of no deal. He also wants those citizens to be able to simply declare they are living and settled in the UK rather than be forced to apply to remain in the UK under the Home Office’s settled status scheme.
Although Barnier rebuffed the UK government, it is widely accepted that the European commission does not have the power to ringfence EU citizens’ rights even if it could re-open the withdrawal agreement. This is because the power over issues such as healthcare and social benefits is a national competency, and Brussels cannot order member states to do a deal.
“Never before in peacetime have the rights of innocent millions of people been put on the table, that’s 1.2 million in the EU and 3.6 million in the UK,” Costa told the BBC.
The ConservativeHome website conducts regular surveys of Conservative party members, including covering who they would like as their next leader. According to the latest, published today, 55% of members want Johnson – his highest ever score in these tables. Rory Stewart is in second place, but he is well behind, on just 16%, followed by Dominic Raab, Michael Gove, Jeremy Hunt and Sajid Javid, all in single figures.
These are from the Sun’s Tom Newton Dunn.
Which Tory contenders will get chopped tonight? Up to 3:* Javid looked likeliest to go overnight, but I'm told he's now "very close" to hitting 33. One Tory MP even rang him straight after his strong @BBCr4today interview to commit. He was buying coffee in Pret at the time (1)
* Team Raab are confident he has the 33, "if they all do what they say", but they don't expect to survive the 3rd ballot on Weds.* Stewart was on a firm 28 last night, and still needs some hopefuls to fully commit this afternoon. This is insightful; (2)https://t.co/qFFnvhSAc4
This is from David Gauke, the justice secretary, who is backing Rory Stewart.
A question for my colleagues who:- want the leadership candidates properly tested- believe we should leave the EU with a deal- want a great communicator capable of pulling off a surprise with the membership ...... how would you feel if @RoryStewartUK got 32 votes tonight?