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| Tory leadership: MPs start voting on final day to decide last two candidates for PM - live news | |
| (31 minutes later) | |
| Broadcasters have been doorstepping all the leadership candidates this morning. Boris Johnson did not respond to questions, but the others did. | |
| Jeremy Hunt said the county could “do better than Boris Johnson” for next prime minister. He said: | |
| I’m confident but not over-confident. We’ve had three ballots. In every one of those ballots people have said that I’m not going to do well. Each time I’ve exceeded expectations. I need my supporters to come and say, ‘Yes, we can do better than Boris Johnson as the next prime minister of our country, we can choose someone who the European Union are actually going to talk to, and get that better Brexit deal.’ | |
| Sajid Javid said he was best placed to take on Johnson because he was a change candidate. He said: | |
| My colleagues, I’m sure, have been thinking carefully during the night and I hope I can pick up some votes ... It has been good news so far already, speaking to colleagues. I’m sure I will be picking up some votes. But these things can be unpredictable. I want to go for it and try my very best and by the end of the day we will have two candidates for the leadership election. One of them will certainly be Boris Johnson. I think I have the strongest case for being the other one, a change candidate that can win over the nation eventually in a general election with Jeremy Corbyn. | |
| And Michael Gove said he was “very confident”. He said: | |
| I’m feeling very confident today. I had a wonderful level of support yesterday from parliamentary colleagues. I’m looking forward to making it through to the final two and looking forward to a civilised debate of ideas on who to make sure that we can make this country better. | |
| From the Times’ Francis Elliott | |
| Some Tory wets are still agonising this morning. Questions over Gove's temperament weighed against Hunt's perceived lack of oomph. Javid not mentioned so far. | |
| Boris Johnson as prime minister would have to dump his pledge to get rid of the Irish backstop and then change the British government’s red lines for there to be hope of further Brexit negotiations, the Dutch prime minister has said. As Daniel Boffey reports, Mark Rutte said an incoming prime minister needed to be flexible, adding that he hoped that the rhetoric of the Tory leadership campaign would be dropped once a new leader was confronted with the reality of the UK’s position. | |
| EU won't negotiate on Boris Johnson's Brexit plan, says Dutch PM | |
| The Independent’s Rob Merrick reckons the UK would be better off with Rutte as the next PM. | |
| More honesty on our Brexit plight in a 15-min #R4today interview with Dutch PM Mark Rutte than we will hear in a 6-week Tory leadership contestHe’s clearly better qualified for No 10 than any of the candidates! | |
| From my colleague Peter Walker, who is outside committee room 14, where MPs are voting | |
| Voting has now started in the fourth round of MPs’ voting in the Tory leadership contest. Dominic Grieve among the first in. It’s Johnson v Hunt v Gove v Javid, with Javid the most likely to go out. Fifth round this afternoon as needed (ie if no one else drops out). | |
| MPs are now voting in the fourth ballot for the Tory leadership. | |
| Voting has commenced in the Fourth Ballot for the Tory leadership. Sir Peter Bottomley is the first to enter Committee Room 14. | |
| The official register of MPs’ interests was updated late yesterday, and the new entries show the battle for fundraising among the Tory leadership candidates. | The official register of MPs’ interests was updated late yesterday, and the new entries show the battle for fundraising among the Tory leadership candidates. |
| Michael Gove trousered the most, £150,000 in donations over the two-week period covered, including £10,000 from Tory peer Lord Philip Harris, the carpet millionaire whose eponymous chain of academy schools was much-praised under Gove’s tenure as education secretary. Another £20,000 came from Simon Wolfson of the Next chain, also a Tory peer. | Michael Gove trousered the most, £150,000 in donations over the two-week period covered, including £10,000 from Tory peer Lord Philip Harris, the carpet millionaire whose eponymous chain of academy schools was much-praised under Gove’s tenure as education secretary. Another £20,000 came from Simon Wolfson of the Next chain, also a Tory peer. |
| Behind him in donations numbers was Rory Stewart, on £108,000, whose donors included David Dein, the former co-owner of Arsenal football club. Dominic Raab was on £93,000 – he also got £10,000 from Harris, who has clearly been spreading his bets. | Behind him in donations numbers was Rory Stewart, on £108,000, whose donors included David Dein, the former co-owner of Arsenal football club. Dominic Raab was on £93,000 – he also got £10,000 from Harris, who has clearly been spreading his bets. |
| Jeremy Hunt received £82,000 over the period, with Johnson lagging on £25,000. However, in pervious editions of the register, Johnson had acquired signifcant sums before. | Jeremy Hunt received £82,000 over the period, with Johnson lagging on £25,000. However, in pervious editions of the register, Johnson had acquired signifcant sums before. |
| Again, no entries for Sajid Javid, which may or may not be connected to the fact that the former banker is personally very well-off. | Again, no entries for Sajid Javid, which may or may not be connected to the fact that the former banker is personally very well-off. |
| In his Mansion House speech tonight Philip Hammond, the chancellor, will also revive his implicit threat to vote against any new Tory leader who tries to take the UK out of the EU without a deal. Echoing a famous speech by Labour leader Hugh Gaitskell in 1960, when Gaitskell said he would “fight, fight and fight again” to reverse a decision by his party to back unilateral nuclear disarmament, Hammond will say: | In his Mansion House speech tonight Philip Hammond, the chancellor, will also revive his implicit threat to vote against any new Tory leader who tries to take the UK out of the EU without a deal. Echoing a famous speech by Labour leader Hugh Gaitskell in 1960, when Gaitskell said he would “fight, fight and fight again” to reverse a decision by his party to back unilateral nuclear disarmament, Hammond will say: |
| I cannot imagine a Conservative and Unionist-led government, actively pursuing a no-deal Brexit; willing to risk the Union and our economic prosperity. And a general election that could put Jeremy Corbyn in Downing Street, to boot. | I cannot imagine a Conservative and Unionist-led government, actively pursuing a no-deal Brexit; willing to risk the Union and our economic prosperity. And a general election that could put Jeremy Corbyn in Downing Street, to boot. |
| And I will not concede the very ground we stand on. I will fight, and fight again, to remake the case for pragmatism and, yes, for compromise in our politics – to ensure an outcome that protects the Union and the prosperity of the United Kingdom. | And I will not concede the very ground we stand on. I will fight, and fight again, to remake the case for pragmatism and, yes, for compromise in our politics – to ensure an outcome that protects the Union and the prosperity of the United Kingdom. |
| In the past Hammond has refused to rule out voting against a Tory government in a no confidence motion to stop a no-deal Brexit. At least two other Tories - Dominic Grieve, here, and Ken Clarke, here - have also said they would vote down a Tory government in these circumstances. At the weekend Amber Rudd, the work and pensions secretary, said there were “a number” of other Tory MPs saying, in private, that they would do the same. | In the past Hammond has refused to rule out voting against a Tory government in a no confidence motion to stop a no-deal Brexit. At least two other Tories - Dominic Grieve, here, and Ken Clarke, here - have also said they would vote down a Tory government in these circumstances. At the weekend Amber Rudd, the work and pensions secretary, said there were “a number” of other Tory MPs saying, in private, that they would do the same. |
| In the Commons Michael Gove, the environment secretary and Tory leadership contender, is taking questions. In response to a question from Vicky Ford (who is backing the foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, for the leadership) asking him to congratulate Hunt on his role in bringing the 2020 UN climate change talks to London, Gove said that Hunt was doing an “outstanding job” on the international stage and that he hoped he would continue. | In the Commons Michael Gove, the environment secretary and Tory leadership contender, is taking questions. In response to a question from Vicky Ford (who is backing the foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, for the leadership) asking him to congratulate Hunt on his role in bringing the 2020 UN climate change talks to London, Gove said that Hunt was doing an “outstanding job” on the international stage and that he hoped he would continue. |
| But there are 27 Rory Stewart votes up for grabs this morning, and Gove also made a point of praising the work done by Stewart, the international development secretary. | But there are 27 Rory Stewart votes up for grabs this morning, and Gove also made a point of praising the work done by Stewart, the international development secretary. |
| In her final few weeks in office Theresa May has not been commenting on the Conservative leadership contest and, as a result, she has become a near-invisible presence in our media, because the statements she is making aren’t deemed interesting and aren’t being reported. Philip Hammond, the chancellor, will also be out of office by the end of the month. But, unlike May, he is going down fighting, and in his speech to the annual Mansion House dinner tonight he is going to effectively accuse all remaining Tory leadership candidates of failing to be honest with the public. And he is also going to tell them, in terms, that holding a second referendum may be the only option available to them. | In her final few weeks in office Theresa May has not been commenting on the Conservative leadership contest and, as a result, she has become a near-invisible presence in our media, because the statements she is making aren’t deemed interesting and aren’t being reported. Philip Hammond, the chancellor, will also be out of office by the end of the month. But, unlike May, he is going down fighting, and in his speech to the annual Mansion House dinner tonight he is going to effectively accuse all remaining Tory leadership candidates of failing to be honest with the public. And he is also going to tell them, in terms, that holding a second referendum may be the only option available to them. |
| By the time Hammond delivers his speech, the two final leadership ballots for Tory MPs will have concluded and we will know the names of the two candidates on the ballot paper for party members. Boris Johnson will be one of them. The other will almost certainly be Jeremy Hunt or Michael Gove; Sajid Javid, the fourth person still in the race, is expected to be out by lunchtime. | By the time Hammond delivers his speech, the two final leadership ballots for Tory MPs will have concluded and we will know the names of the two candidates on the ballot paper for party members. Boris Johnson will be one of them. The other will almost certainly be Jeremy Hunt or Michael Gove; Sajid Javid, the fourth person still in the race, is expected to be out by lunchtime. |
| For the last week or so Rory Stewart has been playing the role “Brexit truth oracle” in Tory politics, pointing out the obvious flaws in the glib ‘renegotiate the backstop’ plans being championed by all the main leadership candidates. For his pains Stewart got booted out of the contest last night, receiving just 27 votes. As he takes on the voice of truth role tonight, Hammond will say: | For the last week or so Rory Stewart has been playing the role “Brexit truth oracle” in Tory politics, pointing out the obvious flaws in the glib ‘renegotiate the backstop’ plans being championed by all the main leadership candidates. For his pains Stewart got booted out of the contest last night, receiving just 27 votes. As he takes on the voice of truth role tonight, Hammond will say: |
| There are some immutable truths that will continue to shape the Brexit debate over the coming months, no matter who is leader of the Tory party: | There are some immutable truths that will continue to shape the Brexit debate over the coming months, no matter who is leader of the Tory party: |
| First, unless there is a general election, the parliamentary arithmetic will not change. Parliament will not allow no-deal; and on the evidence so far, parliament will not support the only deal that is on the table; | First, unless there is a general election, the parliamentary arithmetic will not change. Parliament will not allow no-deal; and on the evidence so far, parliament will not support the only deal that is on the table; |
| Secondly, the European Union will not renegotiate the deal. | Secondly, the European Union will not renegotiate the deal. |
| And, thirdly, the Irish question, and with it the backstop, will not go away. | And, thirdly, the Irish question, and with it the backstop, will not go away. |
| It may be that I’m wrong, and a new leader will persuade parliament to accept the deal it has already rejected. | It may be that I’m wrong, and a new leader will persuade parliament to accept the deal it has already rejected. |
| Or that the European Union does a 180-degree U-turn and re-opens the withdrawal agreement. | Or that the European Union does a 180-degree U-turn and re-opens the withdrawal agreement. |
| But if I’m not, if the deal the current PM has negotiated is, in fact, the best deal possible; and parliament continues to reject both it and no-deal, then the question to the candidates is not “What is your plan?”; but “What is your plan B?”. | But if I’m not, if the deal the current PM has negotiated is, in fact, the best deal possible; and parliament continues to reject both it and no-deal, then the question to the candidates is not “What is your plan?”; but “What is your plan B?”. |
| If your plan A is undeliverable, not having a plan B is like not having a plan at all. | If your plan A is undeliverable, not having a plan B is like not having a plan at all. |
| So, the candidates need to be honest with the public. They need to recognise and address the difficult trade-offs inherent in delivering Brexit ... | So, the candidates need to be honest with the public. They need to recognise and address the difficult trade-offs inherent in delivering Brexit ... |
| If the new prime minister cannot end the deadlock in parliament, then he will have to explore other democratic mechanisms to break the impasse. | If the new prime minister cannot end the deadlock in parliament, then he will have to explore other democratic mechanisms to break the impasse. |
| Because if he fails, his job will be on the line – and so, too, will the jobs and prosperity of millions of our fellow citizens. | Because if he fails, his job will be on the line – and so, too, will the jobs and prosperity of millions of our fellow citizens. |
| As my colleague Jessica Elgot reports, Hammond will also say that, if a new prime minister does opt for a no-deal Brexit, there will be no money available for extra spending or tax cuts. | As my colleague Jessica Elgot reports, Hammond will also say that, if a new prime minister does opt for a no-deal Brexit, there will be no money available for extra spending or tax cuts. |
| Here is the agenda for the day. | Here is the agenda for the day. |
| 9.30am: Michael Gove, the environment secretary and a Tory leadership contender, takes questions in the Commons. | 9.30am: Michael Gove, the environment secretary and a Tory leadership contender, takes questions in the Commons. |
| 9.30am: Jeremy Hunt, the foreign secretary and another Tory leadership contender, speaks at a Resolution Foundation event on intergenerational equality. | 9.30am: Jeremy Hunt, the foreign secretary and another Tory leadership contender, speaks at a Resolution Foundation event on intergenerational equality. |
| 10am: Tory MPs start voting in the fourth leadership ballot. Voting closes at 12pm, and the result will be announced at about 1pm. | 10am: Tory MPs start voting in the fourth leadership ballot. Voting closes at 12pm, and the result will be announced at about 1pm. |
| Lunchtime: EU leaders start arriving for their summit in Brussels. | Lunchtime: EU leaders start arriving for their summit in Brussels. |
| 3.30pm: Tory MPs start voting in the fifth leadership ballot. Voting closes at 5.30pm, and the result will be announced at about 6pm. | 3.30pm: Tory MPs start voting in the fifth leadership ballot. Voting closes at 5.30pm, and the result will be announced at about 6pm. |
| 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 almost exclusively mostly on the Tory leadership contest. | 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 almost exclusively mostly on the Tory leadership contest. |
| You can read all the latest Guardian politics articles here. Here is the Politico Europe roundup of this morning’s political news. And here is the PoliticsHome list of today’s top 10 must-reads. | You can read all the latest Guardian politics articles here. Here is the Politico Europe roundup 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. | 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. | 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. | If you want to attract my attention quickly, it is probably better to use Twitter. |