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| Tory leadership: Johnson, Hunt, Gove, Stewart, Javid through, as Raab eliminated – live news | Tory leadership: Johnson, Hunt, Gove, Stewart, Javid through, as Raab eliminated – live news |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| The BBC debate starts at 8pm. | |
| Emily Maitlis, who will present it, explains here how it will work. | |
| "We've set out five chairs, but it might be that we only need four, or three... or one"Emily @Maitlis explains how #BBCOurNextPM Tory leadership debate will workHow to watch: https://t.co/ZMpRZNlnozLatest updates: https://t.co/TPPcaXT9S8 pic.twitter.com/W5pTYiwb2p | |
| Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, has sketched out a series of negotiating demands if the next prime minister wants to open talks on new powers for the Scottish parliament, assuming the Tories try to head off a fresh independence vote. | |
| Interviewed by Chris Deerin, director of the centre right think tank Reform Scotland, Sturgeon said that top of her shopping list would be devolved powers over immigration to tackle Scotland’s significant demographic problems, with a falling birth rate and a growing elderly population. | |
| She said the next demand would be greater tax powers for Holyrood, including VAT, national insurance and business taxation. Sturgeon said a “balanced basket of taxes” would allow Scotland to make more sophisticated economic decisions. | |
| And she added that if Boris Johnson or another Tory PM cut income taxes in the rest of the UK, a key pledge of many candidates, she may need to think carefully about further income tax rises in Scotland. “The competitivity of our tax system is something we will never be complacent about,” she said. | |
| She suggested that new talks over Scotland’s devolved powers was already on Johnson’s mind, specifically giving Holyrood control over nearly all its taxes and spending decisions. She quipped that after a recent second world war commemoration event, Johnson asked her: “So Nicola: full fiscal autonomy. Does that buy you guys off?” | |
| Sturgeon has been focusing heavily on rightwards, pro-Brexit drift of the contest to succeed Theresa May as a fresh justification for a new independence referendum, with her government tabling legislation to run such a vote. | |
| Backing for independence has slightly grown in the polls, bringing it within a few points of reaching 50% support. Many commentators and Scottish politicians believe victory for Johnson will tip that into majority support for independence. That could point to Johnson or any other victor starting the conversations Deerin raises. | |
| Andrea Jenkyns, a Brexiter, says that now Dominic Raab has been eliminated she will vote for Boris Johnson. | |
| For 3 years we have been fighting to deliver Brexit, with Remain MPs trying to stop the will of our people. Now Dominic has left the contest I will throw my support 100% behind @BorisJohnson. He is the last true Brexiteer standing, who resigned on principle to fight for Brexit. | |
| There are 30 Raab votes available for redistribution. It would be a surprise if most of them did not go to Johnson, who is now the most pro-Brexit figure in the race. | |
| Of the five remaining candidates in the contest, only he and Michael Gove voted in 2016 to leave. But Johnson resigned from cabinet over Theresa May’s Brexit plan and voted against it twice (before voting for it in the final vote). Gove backed May’s plan all the way and, unlike Johnson, has not ruled out extending article 50 again. | |
| Here is more on Nicola Sturgeon from my colleague Severin Carrell. | Here is more on Nicola Sturgeon from my colleague Severin Carrell. |
| @NicolaSturgeon says @BorisJohnson asked her recently (paraphrasing) “So Nicola: full fiscal autonomy. Does that buy you guys off?” “I’m going to make that the starting point of our negotiations should he become prime minister” @reformscotland #devo20 | @NicolaSturgeon says @BorisJohnson asked her recently (paraphrasing) “So Nicola: full fiscal autonomy. Does that buy you guys off?” “I’m going to make that the starting point of our negotiations should he become prime minister” @reformscotland #devo20 |
| Nicola Sturgeon has said that Boris Johnson’s “almost certain” election as the next Conservative leader has proven how sharply Scotland is now diverging from the rest of the UK, increasing the case for independence. | Nicola Sturgeon has said that Boris Johnson’s “almost certain” election as the next Conservative leader has proven how sharply Scotland is now diverging from the rest of the UK, increasing the case for independence. |
| In a speech to mark 20 years since devolution, the first minister said Johnson’s apparent relish for a no-deal Brexit, and his “gratuitously offensive” opinions about women and minorities are in stark contrast to Scotland’s open, diverse and tolerant politics. | In a speech to mark 20 years since devolution, the first minister said Johnson’s apparent relish for a no-deal Brexit, and his “gratuitously offensive” opinions about women and minorities are in stark contrast to Scotland’s open, diverse and tolerant politics. |
| Many Scottish National party politicians and strategists, and some Tories, believe Johnson’s victory will turbo-charge Sturgeon’s quest for a fresh Scottish independence referendum, doubly so if he successfully leads the UK out of the EU. | Many Scottish National party politicians and strategists, and some Tories, believe Johnson’s victory will turbo-charge Sturgeon’s quest for a fresh Scottish independence referendum, doubly so if he successfully leads the UK out of the EU. |
| Speaking to Reform Scotland, a centre-right thinktank, Sturgeon reminded the audience her government was tabling referendum legislation to pave the way for a new vote at some point in future. She said: | |
| It is surely deeply concerning that the Conservative party is even contemplating putting into the office of prime minister someone whose tenure as foreign secretary was risible, lacking in any seriousness of purpose or basic competence and who, over the years, has gratuitously offended so many, from gay people, to Africans, Muslim women and many others. | It is surely deeply concerning that the Conservative party is even contemplating putting into the office of prime minister someone whose tenure as foreign secretary was risible, lacking in any seriousness of purpose or basic competence and who, over the years, has gratuitously offended so many, from gay people, to Africans, Muslim women and many others. |
| But while that, for now, is a matter for the Tories it does further illustrate the different political trajectories of Scotland and other parts of the UK. And it raises the more fundamental question of whether the UK and therefore devolution, in its current form is capable of accommodating those differences. | But while that, for now, is a matter for the Tories it does further illustrate the different political trajectories of Scotland and other parts of the UK. And it raises the more fundamental question of whether the UK and therefore devolution, in its current form is capable of accommodating those differences. |
| I have to be candid and admit I’m not a neutral observer of these matters but it does seem to me that these days, the unionist offer to Scotland amounts to not much more than: ‘Your views don’t matter, do as you’re told and, if you don’t like it, tough, we’ll do it anyway.’ | |
| Brexit starkly illustrates the point. The votes of people here have been ignored. The Scottish government’s attempt at compromise was rejected. And voters in the Scottish parliament opposing Brexit and a subsequent power grab were disregarded. | Brexit starkly illustrates the point. The votes of people here have been ignored. The Scottish government’s attempt at compromise was rejected. And voters in the Scottish parliament opposing Brexit and a subsequent power grab were disregarded. |
| Next up in the @reformscotland Devolution at 20 conversations is First Minister @NicolaSturgeon pic.twitter.com/SulPJWrabM | Next up in the @reformscotland Devolution at 20 conversations is First Minister @NicolaSturgeon pic.twitter.com/SulPJWrabM |
| And this is from Boris Johnson. | And this is from Boris Johnson. |
| Thank you to those who supported me in the second ballot. Very much look forward to taking part in tonight’s BBC debate #BackBoris pic.twitter.com/YJc9lYehtF | Thank you to those who supported me in the second ballot. Very much look forward to taking part in tonight’s BBC debate #BackBoris pic.twitter.com/YJc9lYehtF |
| This is from Rory Stewart. | This is from Rory Stewart. |
| And thank you for all the support - we seem to have almost doubled our vote again...more to come...#walkon | And thank you for all the support - we seem to have almost doubled our vote again...more to come...#walkon |
| In an article for Guardian Opinion, Tom Kibasi, the head of the IPPR thinktank, argues that, even though Boris Johnson looks unstoppable, Rory Stewart has reshaped the race. Here’s an extract: | In an article for Guardian Opinion, Tom Kibasi, the head of the IPPR thinktank, argues that, even though Boris Johnson looks unstoppable, Rory Stewart has reshaped the race. Here’s an extract: |
| Even though Stewart has little chance of winning, he has still reshaped the race. By relentlessly exposing the deceit of his fellow candidates, Stewart’s campaign leaves Johnson weakened as he heads towards the realisation of his only guiding principle: the ambition to be prime minister. Stewart has been very effective at exposing the lie that the withdrawal agreement can be renegotiated through force of personality. He has made plain that a plan predicated on renegotiating it is in truth a plan for a no-deal exit at the end of October. As the Institute for Public Policy Research progressive thinktank has pointed out today, there are still 10 major questions that no-deal advocates have been unable to answer, from fishing to trading agreements. | Even though Stewart has little chance of winning, he has still reshaped the race. By relentlessly exposing the deceit of his fellow candidates, Stewart’s campaign leaves Johnson weakened as he heads towards the realisation of his only guiding principle: the ambition to be prime minister. Stewart has been very effective at exposing the lie that the withdrawal agreement can be renegotiated through force of personality. He has made plain that a plan predicated on renegotiating it is in truth a plan for a no-deal exit at the end of October. As the Institute for Public Policy Research progressive thinktank has pointed out today, there are still 10 major questions that no-deal advocates have been unable to answer, from fishing to trading agreements. |
| And here is the whole article. | And here is the whole article. |
| Johnson might be a dead cert for Tory leader but Stewart has reshaped the race | Tom Kibasi | Johnson might be a dead cert for Tory leader but Stewart has reshaped the race | Tom Kibasi |
| Here is the New Statesman’s Stephen Bush’s blogpost on the results. Among other things, he says Rory Stewart is the big winner, but that he may now have hit his ceiling. | Here is the New Statesman’s Stephen Bush’s blogpost on the results. Among other things, he says Rory Stewart is the big winner, but that he may now have hit his ceiling. |
| The big winner is Rory Stewart, however. He now gets a shot at that big televised debate, where he could yet transform the whole contest. His candidacy may well be reaching its ceiling of support and Johnson’s big lead among MPs means he will be well-placed to choose his preferred opponent, who will not be Stewart. | The big winner is Rory Stewart, however. He now gets a shot at that big televised debate, where he could yet transform the whole contest. His candidacy may well be reaching its ceiling of support and Johnson’s big lead among MPs means he will be well-placed to choose his preferred opponent, who will not be Stewart. |
| But even should he fall short at the next hurdle, he ends this contest as the de facto leader of the Conservative opponents of no deal: and as someone who, albeit from the backbenches, will be a major voice in the Brexit debates. | But even should he fall short at the next hurdle, he ends this contest as the de facto leader of the Conservative opponents of no deal: and as someone who, albeit from the backbenches, will be a major voice in the Brexit debates. |
| From the Sunday Times’ Tim Shipman | From the Sunday Times’ Tim Shipman |
| Widespread suspicion that Williamson helped prop up Javid. Out of 50 votes up for grabs we are invited to believe that Boris only secured 12 of them. Hacks currently gathered in central lobby staring at lists of numbers and muttering “jiggery pokery” | Widespread suspicion that Williamson helped prop up Javid. Out of 50 votes up for grabs we are invited to believe that Boris only secured 12 of them. Hacks currently gathered in central lobby staring at lists of numbers and muttering “jiggery pokery” |
| These are from Sajid Javid. | These are from Sajid Javid. |
| I pay tribute to @DominicRaab for fighting hard in this campaign with professionalism, drive & fresh ideas. He has a major role to play with any new PM helping Britain’s young people get a fair shot | I pay tribute to @DominicRaab for fighting hard in this campaign with professionalism, drive & fresh ideas. He has a major role to play with any new PM helping Britain’s young people get a fair shot |
| Thank you for your support! Looking forward to tonight’s debate with my colleagues and @maitlis. I can lead a Conservative Party which connects with new audiences and creates opportunities for all. #TeamSaj | Thank you for your support! Looking forward to tonight’s debate with my colleagues and @maitlis. I can lead a Conservative Party which connects with new audiences and creates opportunities for all. #TeamSaj |
| This is from Michael Gove. | This is from Michael Gove. |
| Very pleased to have made it through and closed the gap to second! Looking forward to making my case at the BBC debate shortly. The final two should be Brexiteers who are able to take on Corbyn, unite the party and deliver Brexit #ReadyToLead #Gove4PM pic.twitter.com/3h3kbQOLPV | Very pleased to have made it through and closed the gap to second! Looking forward to making my case at the BBC debate shortly. The final two should be Brexiteers who are able to take on Corbyn, unite the party and deliver Brexit #ReadyToLead #Gove4PM pic.twitter.com/3h3kbQOLPV |
| Gillian Keegan, the Chichester MP and a supporter of Rory Stewart, told reporters after the result was announced the momentum was with his campaign. She said: | Gillian Keegan, the Chichester MP and a supporter of Rory Stewart, told reporters after the result was announced the momentum was with his campaign. She said: |
| They’re very close now. There’s a clear winner, and between the others there are not many votes | They’re very close now. There’s a clear winner, and between the others there are not many votes |
| It’s very rewarding. Rory’s campaign is basically honest about where we are as a country. He’s basically telling people the uncomfortable truth in some cases, but he’s being honest. And who knew there was a market for honesty in politics? I’d always hoped that there was. | It’s very rewarding. Rory’s campaign is basically honest about where we are as a country. He’s basically telling people the uncomfortable truth in some cases, but he’s being honest. And who knew there was a market for honesty in politics? I’d always hoped that there was. |
| Mark Francois, the strongly Brexit-minded MP who supports Boris Johnson rather than Dominic Raab, said it was sad that Raab had been eliminated. He went on: | Mark Francois, the strongly Brexit-minded MP who supports Boris Johnson rather than Dominic Raab, said it was sad that Raab had been eliminated. He went on: |
| Whoever wins, and I hope it’s Boris, I hope they find a good place for Dom in their cabinet, because I think he deserves it. | Whoever wins, and I hope it’s Boris, I hope they find a good place for Dom in their cabinet, because I think he deserves it. |
| This is from a spokesman for Jeremy Hunt’s campaign. | This is from a spokesman for Jeremy Hunt’s campaign. |
| This is a solid result. It shows a steady step forward, which is exactly what we were expecting. It confirms that Jeremy is the best placed candidate to take on Boris. He’s the only candidate who can unite the country and the party by delivering Brexit. | This is a solid result. It shows a steady step forward, which is exactly what we were expecting. It confirms that Jeremy is the best placed candidate to take on Boris. He’s the only candidate who can unite the country and the party by delivering Brexit. |
| A source in the Sajid Javid campaign says Javid will not be withdrawing from the contest before the next ballot, which is tomorrow. He put on 10 votes, the same as Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove and Dominic Raab combined, the source says. “We are fighting tomorrow’s ballot.” | A source in the Sajid Javid campaign says Javid will not be withdrawing from the contest before the next ballot, which is tomorrow. He put on 10 votes, the same as Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove and Dominic Raab combined, the source says. “We are fighting tomorrow’s ballot.” |