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| Tory leadership: May will continue to warn against no-deal Brexit from backbenches, No 10 signals - as it happened | |
| (over 1 year later) | |
| Theresa May is to warn her potential successors that a no-deal Brexit threatens the UK’s future, in her final speech in Scotland as prime minister. No 10 has also signalled that, after she resigns at the end of this month, May will continue to warn against the dangers of no-deal from the backbenches. (See 2.30pm.) | |
| Downing Street has mounted a staunch defence of the government’s sugar levy on soft drinks, after Boris Johnson announced he would impose a moratorium on “sin taxes” if he became prime minister. | |
| The Chinese ambassador to the UK Liu Xiaoming has criticised Jeremy Hunt, the foreign secretary and Tory leadership candidate, over his comments on the unrest in Hong Kong. Liu said: | |
| I think it is totally wrong for Jeremy Hunt to talk about the freedom - this is not a matter about the freedom, it’s a matter about breaking laws in Hong Kong. It’s very disappointing when the senior officials of his calibre show support of these law-breaking people. | |
| We all remember what Hong Kong was 22 years ago under British rule: there was no freedom, democracy, whatever. We all know that all governors were appointed by the British government, people had no right to elect its officials, no right to demonstrate certainly, and they did not even have a right to have an independent judicial power. | |
| Hunt responded on Twitter by saying China had to honour the commitments made in the joint declaration on Hong Kong. | |
| Message to Chinese govt: good relations between countries are based on mutual respect and honouring the legally binding agreements between them. That is the best way to preserve the great relationship between the UK and China | |
| Peers have started debating a proposal to set up a joint committee of the Commons and Lords to produce a report on the risks of a no-deal Brexit before 30 September. The motion is expected to pass. Opening the debate, Angela Smith, Labour’s leader in the Lords, said: | |
| The Bank of England has estimated an immediate hit to the economy roughly equivalent to the 2008 financial crisis and a crash in the pound, disrupting trade and closing businesses. In an unprecedented joint letter to the prime minister, the heads of the TUC and the CBI warned of the dangers to the economy stating “the shock… would be felt by generations to come”. | |
| The danger is real. | |
| And yet Mr Hunt has said that in the event of a no deal, he would tell the owners of bankrupt businesses that their sacrifice had been worth it. How? Because “…we’d be living in a country where politicians do what the people tell them to do”. | |
| That’s not leadership. Politicians should tell the truth. And one way of getting to the truth on this matter would be via a committee that examines, interrogates and presents the evidence. | |
| The British official who was in charge of Brexit border plans has warned that the fact the government has made contingency preparations for a no-deal departure “doesn’t mean … everything will be fine”. | |
| Liam Fox, the international trade secretary, has blamed MPs for the apparent stalling of a post-Brexit Canadian trade deal, accusing parliament of sending “mixed signals” to the country. Speaking to the international trade committee this morning, Fox said: | |
| The progress was very advanced: in fact we reckoned above 99% of agreement. The difference there was, as ever, that the signals coming from our parliament were conflicting. Countries were negotiating with us on the basis that there would be potential of a no-deal exit. | |
| When Parliament then says parliament will make sure that there is no possibility of a no-deal exit, those we are negotiating with get mixed signals. If parliament continues to be inconsistent, it’s very difficult for the government to maintain a consistent position in terms of negotiations. | |
| Labour has said a pregnant MP who reportedly faced a motion of no confidence in her constituency is not under threat, saying no such motion will take place. | |
| The UK will have an “ethical” development policy that puts the climate emergency and environmental protection at the heart of overseas aid, with more than £190m to be spent directly on climate-related issues in the first initiative, the government has announced. | |
| That’s all from me for today. | |
| Thanks for the comments. | |
| Jeremy Hunt has just posted this on Twitter. | |
| Well this is awkward... definitely didn’t sign up to this mailing list. pic.twitter.com/OhDiwPmIIe | |
| Hunt’s team say the unsolicited Boris Johnson campaign email was sent to Hunt’s private email address. They are suggesting this could be another example of the Johnson campaign misusing email mailing lists. Some complaints have already been referred to the information commissioner, although the Johnson campaign has denied breaking data privacy rules. | |
| Tory MPs who support Boris Johnson for leader have been posting for photographs with him, the Telegraph’s Asa Bennett reports. | |
| Looks like Boris Johnson has been hosting a photoshoot for Boris-backing Tory MPs 📷 pic.twitter.com/hv3886lnAX | |
| Labour’s Wes Streeting says the monitor in the background, and the time on the clock, show that for these MPs attending the photocall took precedence over listening to Theresa May at PMQs. | |
| The TV in the background explains why the Tory benches looked so empty during #PMQs - Tory MPs were too busy having photos with the next PM to bother turning up to support the current one. https://t.co/z3yKyoEV9f | |
| Ursula von der Leyen, the German defence minister nominated as the next president of the European commission, has told MEPs that the backstop needs to stay in the Brexit withdrawal agreement, Politico Europe’s Josh Posaner reports. | |
| Ursula von der Leyen just left a meeting of EPP lawmakers in Strasbourg — her pitch for their support to be the next European Commission President. Here’s what she said according to a mole in the room | |
| The backstop needs to stay. She was clear on #Brexit that the course of negotiations wouldn’t change if she takes over and the issue is still unresolved. "It is good if we stick to it, we have done a noble job in the negotiations," she told them. | |
| She switched from English to fluent French for her life story — taking in her youth in Brussels, escape to the U.S. and various minister posts under Merkel. | |
| On defence, she said NATO was good (unsurprising) but that the EU needed to have its own capabilities. She dodged a question on whether she'll go easy on Central European countries and rule of law as it was those leaders that secured her nomination. | |
| Spitzenkandidaten needs work so that Council and Parliament are onboard. She got big applause at the end from the EPP cohort in Strasbourg before being whisked away by security (without taking press questions.) The end. | |
| Police investigating an allegation of the burning of ballots in the Peterborough by-election have concluded that no offences were committed, the Press Association reports. Cambridgeshire Police previously said no crimes were revealed in respect of one allegation of bribery and two relating to postal votes. The force said that it had concluded its investigation into an allegation of the burning of ballots, with no crime found to be committed. The investigation into a fifth allegation, of a breach of the privacy of the vote, is continuing. The Brexit party claimed last month that vote-rigging may have played a role in Labour’s wafer-thin victory in the by-election. Labour rubbished these claims as a “desperate attempt” to excuse a defeat, describing the allegations as “nonsense”. | Police investigating an allegation of the burning of ballots in the Peterborough by-election have concluded that no offences were committed, the Press Association reports. Cambridgeshire Police previously said no crimes were revealed in respect of one allegation of bribery and two relating to postal votes. The force said that it had concluded its investigation into an allegation of the burning of ballots, with no crime found to be committed. The investigation into a fifth allegation, of a breach of the privacy of the vote, is continuing. The Brexit party claimed last month that vote-rigging may have played a role in Labour’s wafer-thin victory in the by-election. Labour rubbished these claims as a “desperate attempt” to excuse a defeat, describing the allegations as “nonsense”. |
| It’s not just Nigel Farage. (See 11.04am.) Jeremy Hunt is also saying that he does not know that Boris Johnson, his rival for the Tory leadership, really thinks about the sugar tax. Hunt told journalists this afternoon: | It’s not just Nigel Farage. (See 11.04am.) Jeremy Hunt is also saying that he does not know that Boris Johnson, his rival for the Tory leadership, really thinks about the sugar tax. Hunt told journalists this afternoon: |
| I’m totally confused about what Boris’s policy is on this because he’s saying he doesn’t want these sin taxes, but he’s got Matt Hancock, the health secretary in his team who strongly supports them. So I think consistency really does matter. | I’m totally confused about what Boris’s policy is on this because he’s saying he doesn’t want these sin taxes, but he’s got Matt Hancock, the health secretary in his team who strongly supports them. So I think consistency really does matter. |
| We have an obesity epidemic. We have the second highest number of obese young people anywhere in Europe and we do need to have a solution to this. So the people who want to scrap these taxes need to say what is their plan because it’s terrible for the young people involved. | We have an obesity epidemic. We have the second highest number of obese young people anywhere in Europe and we do need to have a solution to this. So the people who want to scrap these taxes need to say what is their plan because it’s terrible for the young people involved. |
| In the comments various people have said that I was wrong to criticise Theresa May at PMQs for using the phrase “all mouth and trousers”. See 12.14pm. I thought she had missed out a “no”, but it turns out both version of the phrase gets used. And InquisitorThrax points out that the Guardian’s own style guide prefers the May version. David Marsh explained why in an article in 2010. Here’s an excerpt. | In the comments various people have said that I was wrong to criticise Theresa May at PMQs for using the phrase “all mouth and trousers”. See 12.14pm. I thought she had missed out a “no”, but it turns out both version of the phrase gets used. And InquisitorThrax points out that the Guardian’s own style guide prefers the May version. David Marsh explained why in an article in 2010. Here’s an excerpt. |
| The most exhaustive discussion of the subject I have found, however, is in Michael Quinion’s book Port Out, Starboard Home (Penguin, 2005), quoted at the excellent languagehat website: “all mouth and trousers: This strange expression comes from the north of England and is used, mainly by women in my experience, as a sharp-tongued and effective putdown of a certain kind of pushy, over-confident male. It’s a wonderful example of metonymy (‘a container for the thing contained’) ... What is interesting about the saying from a folk etymological point of view is that its opaqueness has led its modern users to reinterpret it as ‘all mouth and no trousers’.” | The most exhaustive discussion of the subject I have found, however, is in Michael Quinion’s book Port Out, Starboard Home (Penguin, 2005), quoted at the excellent languagehat website: “all mouth and trousers: This strange expression comes from the north of England and is used, mainly by women in my experience, as a sharp-tongued and effective putdown of a certain kind of pushy, over-confident male. It’s a wonderful example of metonymy (‘a container for the thing contained’) ... What is interesting about the saying from a folk etymological point of view is that its opaqueness has led its modern users to reinterpret it as ‘all mouth and no trousers’.” |
| A commenter adds: “I think the metonymy is ironic the way I always heard it – all mouth and trousers implying the ‘empty’ container – all front and bravado, but no brains or balls (or penis if you prefer).” | A commenter adds: “I think the metonymy is ironic the way I always heard it – all mouth and trousers implying the ‘empty’ container – all front and bravado, but no brains or balls (or penis if you prefer).” |
| Which may be a good place to leave it. My conclusion? “All mouth and trousers” probably came first, and in the interests of consistency, we shall keep it in the style guide. But let’s not get too prescriptive about it: both phrases will have their adherents, and you should use whichever pleases you more. | Which may be a good place to leave it. My conclusion? “All mouth and trousers” probably came first, and in the interests of consistency, we shall keep it in the style guide. But let’s not get too prescriptive about it: both phrases will have their adherents, and you should use whichever pleases you more. |
| The head of the civil service will face demands for an independent investigation into reports a senior officials believe Jeremy Corbyn would not be “physically or mentally” up to the job of prime minister, the Press Association reports. The Labour leader will meet Sir Mark Sedwill face-to-face in parliament this afternoon to set out his concerns that an investigation by the civil service alone will not be sufficient. Corbyn’s spokesman said the actions by the unnamed officials at the “apex of the civil service” were “out of order”. In his meeting with Sedwill, Corbyn “will be pressing the case for a genuinely independent investigation into what took place”. The row was triggered by a report in the Times, which said the future of Corbyn, 70, was openly discussed at an event attended by mandarins amid suggestions he has become “too frail and is losing his memory”. Corbyn’s spokesman told journalists: | The head of the civil service will face demands for an independent investigation into reports a senior officials believe Jeremy Corbyn would not be “physically or mentally” up to the job of prime minister, the Press Association reports. The Labour leader will meet Sir Mark Sedwill face-to-face in parliament this afternoon to set out his concerns that an investigation by the civil service alone will not be sufficient. Corbyn’s spokesman said the actions by the unnamed officials at the “apex of the civil service” were “out of order”. In his meeting with Sedwill, Corbyn “will be pressing the case for a genuinely independent investigation into what took place”. The row was triggered by a report in the Times, which said the future of Corbyn, 70, was openly discussed at an event attended by mandarins amid suggestions he has become “too frail and is losing his memory”. Corbyn’s spokesman told journalists: |
| You have clear evidence in reports of senior civil servants briefing against the elected leader of the opposition and not only briefing against him and claiming he is not up to the job but also briefing on the basis of false information - namely that he is ill or his health is impaired. | You have clear evidence in reports of senior civil servants briefing against the elected leader of the opposition and not only briefing against him and claiming he is not up to the job but also briefing on the basis of false information - namely that he is ill or his health is impaired. |
| That is entirely untrue so on both counts you are talking about a very serious breach of civil service neutrality, a principle that absolutely underlines our democratic constitution. | That is entirely untrue so on both counts you are talking about a very serious breach of civil service neutrality, a principle that absolutely underlines our democratic constitution. |
| It was not appropriate for the civil service “to be marking their own homework” and there should be an “independent element in the investigation to restore confidence in those people at the apex of the civil service”, he said. | It was not appropriate for the civil service “to be marking their own homework” and there should be an “independent element in the investigation to restore confidence in those people at the apex of the civil service”, he said. |
| Speaking to journalists after PMQs, a Downing Street spokesman was asked about the prime minister’s future role, once she steps aside. He said: | Speaking to journalists after PMQs, a Downing Street spokesman was asked about the prime minister’s future role, once she steps aside. He said: |
| She will certainly play her full part in serving her constituents of Maidenhead. | She will certainly play her full part in serving her constituents of Maidenhead. |
| She very quickly when she announced her intention to step down as prime minister made very clear that she wanted to serve for at least the remainder of the parliament. I think she’s totally focused on that. I think that’s what you would expect from her. | She very quickly when she announced her intention to step down as prime minister made very clear that she wanted to serve for at least the remainder of the parliament. I think she’s totally focused on that. I think that’s what you would expect from her. |
| As for her stance in relation to a no-deal Brexit, he said: | As for her stance in relation to a no-deal Brexit, he said: |
| You can expect her to examine any future proposals on their merits. | You can expect her to examine any future proposals on their merits. |
| And asked whether the PM could vote against a no-deal plan, he said: | And asked whether the PM could vote against a no-deal plan, he said: |
| It’s not something I have discussed with her; but she has always been very clear about what she sees as the virtues of leaving in an orderly way, with a deal. | It’s not something I have discussed with her; but she has always been very clear about what she sees as the virtues of leaving in an orderly way, with a deal. |