This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2019/jul/04/tory-leadership-latest-newst-boris-johnson-jeremy-hunt-backtracks-and-insists-foxhunting-ban-will-not-be-repealed-live-news

The article has changed 22 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 12 Version 13
Brexit party MEP Ann Widdecombe branded 'offensive' after likening EU membership to slavery - live news May claims strengthening UK union has been 'explicit priority' for her government - live news
(32 minutes later)
May says the Scottish independence referendum was meant to settle the matter for a generation.
But Nicola Sturgeon asked for another vote just three years later. May says she said no because she thought that was wrong. It will be for her successor to decide what to do next, she says.
BBC News are giving up on their live coverage of the May speech after about 10 minutes.
But there is a live feed at the top of the blog.
Theresa May is speaking now.
She says that when Gordon Brown spoke recently about the United Kingdom union being more at risk than at any time in the last 300 years, he spoke for many people.
The stage is ready for Theresa May's speech in Stirling pic.twitter.com/RAjf5RlTBz
Theresa May will be giving her speech on devolution in Scotland soon.
According to an extract released in advance, she will say:
I am confident that whoever succeeds me in 10 Downing Street will make the nnion their priority.
He will be building on work done over the last three years, during which time strengthening the union has become an explicit priority of government.
The job of prime minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland brings with it privileges and responsibilities which you only really feel once the black door closes behind you.
One of the first and greatest is the duty you owe to strengthen the Union.
To govern on behalf of the whole United Kingdom.
To respect the identities of every citizen of the UK – English and Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish.
And to ensure that we can go on facing the future together, overcoming obstacles together, and achieving more together than we ever could apart –a union of nations and people.
Election strategists are forever coining new terms to describe the electoral demographic they are targeting: Mondeo man, Worcester woman, hardworking families, the JAMs (‘just about managing’) etc. They are not always exactly the same people, but they are roughly, and it is easier just to call them floating voters.
But now, in an interview with the Spectator, Boris Johnson has coined a new term for this constituency: Oppidan Britain. It’s a university term for townie, but, as James Forsyth and Katy Balls explain in their interview, it is more specifically an Eton term. Here’s the key extract from their article.
The salvation of the Tory party, [Johnson] says, will be focusing on the wider problems exposed by Brexit. ‘Loads of people in parts of rural Britain or urban, Oppidan Britain found a sense that their lives and their futures weren’t as important,’ he says. ‘That is totally wrong. There is a big, big opportunity to bring the country together.’ So he’s pitching himself as the candidate for the disenfranchised rural folk and city dwellers of Britain.
The word ‘Oppidan’ of course has resonance among Etonians. Boris was a King’s Scholar there (the non-scholars are called Oppidans) and a pitch for the ‘left-behind’ Oppidans of the Tory party might literally mean reaching out to David Cameron, Rory Stewart and Oliver Letwin (all Oppidans).
Dominic Raab spent more than £50,000 on Facebook advertising during his failed bid for the Tory leadership, more than all his rivals combined, PoliticsHome reports.Dominic Raab spent more than £50,000 on Facebook advertising during his failed bid for the Tory leadership, more than all his rivals combined, PoliticsHome reports.
EXCL Dominic Raab massively outspent his rivals on Facebook ads during failed Tory leadership bidhttps://t.co/L774lZ6zGFEXCL Dominic Raab massively outspent his rivals on Facebook ads during failed Tory leadership bidhttps://t.co/L774lZ6zGF
Here’s a question from below the line that it would be helpful to answer up here.Here’s a question from below the line that it would be helpful to answer up here.
ANDREWANDREW
The High Court Judgement on the prosecution of Mr. Johnson was supposed to have been handed down yesterday morning.Do you have any information on this?The High Court Judgement on the prosecution of Mr. Johnson was supposed to have been handed down yesterday morning.Do you have any information on this?
This was listed on the agenda yesterday, but I did not see any reporting of the judgment, and so I did not post on it.This was listed on the agenda yesterday, but I did not see any reporting of the judgment, and so I did not post on it.
But you can read the full judgment here.But you can read the full judgment here.
Administrative Court written judgment handed down today following the hearing and decision on 7 June: Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson -v- Westminster Magistrates Court & Others https://t.co/R8Sj811QYXAdministrative Court written judgment handed down today following the hearing and decision on 7 June: Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson -v- Westminster Magistrates Court & Others https://t.co/R8Sj811QYX
And the New European has got a summary here.And the New European has got a summary here.
It’s ‘pose with an animal’ day on the Tory campaign trail.It’s ‘pose with an animal’ day on the Tory campaign trail.
Boris Johnson has been visiting a farm in Yorkshire.Boris Johnson has been visiting a farm in Yorkshire.
And Jeremy Hunt is in Surrey.And Jeremy Hunt is in Surrey.
At Tory leadership election hustings Boris Johnson is fond of saying he reduced knife crime in the capital when he was mayor of London, and that it is now rising again under his successor, Sadiq Khan. In an interview on LBC this morning Khan, the Labour mayor, was asked to defend his record. He said that knife crime has been going up across the whole country, not just in London. And he said that during Johnson’s first term in office, from 2008 to 2012, he was getting extra money, first from the Labour government and then from the coalition anxious not to cut police numbers before the London Olympics. Khan went on:At Tory leadership election hustings Boris Johnson is fond of saying he reduced knife crime in the capital when he was mayor of London, and that it is now rising again under his successor, Sadiq Khan. In an interview on LBC this morning Khan, the Labour mayor, was asked to defend his record. He said that knife crime has been going up across the whole country, not just in London. And he said that during Johnson’s first term in office, from 2008 to 2012, he was getting extra money, first from the Labour government and then from the coalition anxious not to cut police numbers before the London Olympics. Khan went on:
So the cuts to London’s police numbers really began in earnest in 2012, and it takes some time for the cuts in preventative services to see the light of day. You don’t overnight, when you close youth centres, see crime going up. ... The point is this: violent crime did start going up in 2014 onwards and one of the reasons is the cuts started biting then, not just in London but across the country.So the cuts to London’s police numbers really began in earnest in 2012, and it takes some time for the cuts in preventative services to see the light of day. You don’t overnight, when you close youth centres, see crime going up. ... The point is this: violent crime did start going up in 2014 onwards and one of the reasons is the cuts started biting then, not just in London but across the country.
The Local Government Association, the cross-party body which represents councils in England and Wales, has challenged the government to publish its green paper on adult social care within the next 10 weeks. Responding to the report from the Lords economic affairs committee report for an NHS-style system of free personal care, funded by the taxpayer, the LGA also offered to host cross-party talks on finding a solution to the funding crisis.The Local Government Association, the cross-party body which represents councils in England and Wales, has challenged the government to publish its green paper on adult social care within the next 10 weeks. Responding to the report from the Lords economic affairs committee report for an NHS-style system of free personal care, funded by the taxpayer, the LGA also offered to host cross-party talks on finding a solution to the funding crisis.
In a statement Ian Hudspeth, the Conservative leader of Oxfordshire council council and chair of the LGA’s community wellbeing board, said:In a statement Ian Hudspeth, the Conservative leader of Oxfordshire council council and chair of the LGA’s community wellbeing board, said:
Councils are having to make incredibly difficult decisions within tightening budgets and cannot be expected to continue relying on one-off funding injections to keep services going. What is needed is funding certainty for both the immediate and long-term.Councils are having to make incredibly difficult decisions within tightening budgets and cannot be expected to continue relying on one-off funding injections to keep services going. What is needed is funding certainty for both the immediate and long-term.
That is why the government needs to commit to meeting our 10-week deadline, before the party conferences start, to finally publish its much-delayed and long-awaited green paper outlining what the future funding options and possible solutions to this crisis are.That is why the government needs to commit to meeting our 10-week deadline, before the party conferences start, to finally publish its much-delayed and long-awaited green paper outlining what the future funding options and possible solutions to this crisis are.
Local government stands ready to host cross-party talks to kick-start this process and make sure we get the answers and certainty we need, so that people can continue to receive essential care and support.Local government stands ready to host cross-party talks to kick-start this process and make sure we get the answers and certainty we need, so that people can continue to receive essential care and support.
Jeremy Corbyn has joined those criticising the prospect of George Osborne replacing Christine Lagarde as head of the International Monetary Fund.Jeremy Corbyn has joined those criticising the prospect of George Osborne replacing Christine Lagarde as head of the International Monetary Fund.
George Osborne, architect of UK austerity, and the IMF, leading global enforcer of austerity, would be a dangerous combination. We need to build a new global economic order for the many, not continue imposing destructive policies on behalf of the few.https://t.co/Li4nuPNiV8George Osborne, architect of UK austerity, and the IMF, leading global enforcer of austerity, would be a dangerous combination. We need to build a new global economic order for the many, not continue imposing destructive policies on behalf of the few.https://t.co/Li4nuPNiV8
David Lidington, the Cabinet Office minister and Theresa May’s de facto deputy, has told the World at One that a no-deal Brexit would make the break-up of the United Kingdom more likely. Asked if the UK could survive as one country in the event of no-deal, he replied:David Lidington, the Cabinet Office minister and Theresa May’s de facto deputy, has told the World at One that a no-deal Brexit would make the break-up of the United Kingdom more likely. Asked if the UK could survive as one country in the event of no-deal, he replied:
I think the UK would be under much greater strain in the event of a no-deal.I think the UK would be under much greater strain in the event of a no-deal.
Lidington also said the union was under greater strain than at any point in his lifetime. He went on:Lidington also said the union was under greater strain than at any point in his lifetime. He went on:
The threat to the union, in my view, comes not just from Scottish nationalism, or pressure for Irish unification, it comes from indifference amongst English opinion to the value of the union.The threat to the union, in my view, comes not just from Scottish nationalism, or pressure for Irish unification, it comes from indifference amongst English opinion to the value of the union.
I think there is a sense in which we take the union for granted.I think there is a sense in which we take the union for granted.
And sometimes I think there are too many people in England, including in my party, who assume that you can be dismissive of the contribution that Scotland or Northern Ireland makes.And sometimes I think there are too many people in England, including in my party, who assume that you can be dismissive of the contribution that Scotland or Northern Ireland makes.
Lidington was speaking ahead of May’s speech in Scotland on devolution, which is due at about 5pm.Lidington was speaking ahead of May’s speech in Scotland on devolution, which is due at about 5pm.
Ann Widdecombe, the Brexit party MEP and former Tory minister, has been branded “offensive” and a “clown” after likening EU membership to slavery.
Jeremy Hunt, the underdog in the Tory leadership contest, has said the ban on foxhunting will not be repealed. He had to clarify his position after he provoked anger with an interview implying the ban might by lifted under his premiership if the Tories won a majority at the next election. (See 9.08am.)
Hunt’s plan to end the funding crisis in adult social care has been described as unworkable by Michael Forsyth, the Tory peer who chairs a Lords committee that has just published a report on the topic. (See 12.05pm.)
Germany will stand fully in “solidarity” with Ireland over Brexit, the country’s president has said, and look to “underpin rather than undermine” the peace process that has kept the border with Northern Ireland invisible in the past 20 years.
Hunt has refused to rule out imposing sanctions on China and expelling its diplomats in an escalating row over Hong Kong.
George Osborne’s interest in running the International Monetary Fund has met immediate criticism because of the former Chancellor’s austerity policies and Brexit-related question marks over the UK’s international standing.
Conservative donors have spent lavish sums on hunting trips and champagne parties at a fundraising auction attended by the prime minister, Theresa May, and her potential successors, Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt.
Policing is under huge strain, struggling to meet rising demand and radical reform is needed, Sir Tom Winsor, the chief inspector of constabulary, has said.
And here is the Labour MP Rosena Allin-Khan on Ann Widdecombe.
It is disgusting that Ann Widdecombe would reference slavery and colonisation to describe our relationship with the EU. Her and Farage are bankrolled by elites - she's part of the establishment which has created such a divide in this country. https://t.co/UoncdzeDXA
This is from Nick Boles, the former Conservative MP now sitting as an independent, who says some of those praising Boris Johnson in the media have been scathing about him in private.
If I was paid a quid for each of the scathing things said to me about Boris Johnson by people now promoting him in the media, I’d be a very wealthy man. I just wonder how they can live with themselves.
Here is Labour’s David Lammy on the Ann Widdecombe speech.
Anne Widdecombe just compared Britain leaving the EU to "slaves" rising up "against their owners".It is impossible to explain how offensive and ahistorical it is for you to equate my ancestors tearing off their chains with your small-minded nationalist project. Shame on you. https://t.co/wZVCziXWVM
Here is video of the Ann Widdecombe speech. (See 1.19pm.)
Ann Widdecombe MEP: Britain was right to vote to leave, we're off!Widdecombe is on fire! pic.twitter.com/6bI01YHWAc
Here is a transcript.
And here’s the full transcript from Anne #Widdecombe’s theatrical debut, comparing British membership to the EU, to #slavery “Nous allons, wir gehen, we’re off” she says. #annewiddecombe #Brexit pic.twitter.com/PLrvbEQKAk
Guy Verhofstadt, the Belgian MEP and former prime minister who is the European parliament’s lead Brexit spokesman, has described Widdecombe as a “clown”.
Nigel Farage facing some stiff competition as chief clown of the Brexit Party in the @Europarl_EN. By the way, when Widdecombe talks about “colonies liberating themselves from their empires”, is she really referring to the American Revolution of 1776? https://t.co/KNtQ7GjaY3
The former Conservative minister Ann Widdecombe likened the UK’s departure from the EU to the emancipation of slaves, as she became the first Brexit party MEP to speak in the new European parliament, my colleague Daniel Boffey reports.
Ann Widdecombe likens Brexit to emancipation of slaves
Sir Tom Winsor, the chief inspector of policing, has suggested that Boris Johnson’s plan to hire an extra 20,000 police officers may not be the most efficient use of money. Johnson is proposing to spend an extra £1.1bn funding the pledge, which would see 20,000 extra officer in place by 2022. Presenting his annual state of policing report, Winsor welcomed the proposal, but suggested the money could be better spent. Asked if he welcomed the proposal, he replied:
Yes. High-risk, high-harm crimes are on the increase. Street violence is a very significant problem. Police are having to cope with new patterns of crime and complexity.
But when asked if it was too simplistic proposal Winsor said:
It’s certainly simple but it may not be the most effective way of spending on policing.
I’m not for a moment saying we don’t need more cops and police staff.
I’m sure Boris Johnson doesn’t expect people to believe there will be 20,000 police officers on the streets by Christmas. That just would be the case.
A good rule of polling is that, if a poll result looks sufficiently unusual to be newsworthy, it is probably wrong. That’s why today’s YouGov poll, which puts Labour in fourth place, on 18%, behind the Tories, the Brexit party and the Lib Dems, might not be quite as disastrous for the party as it looks. The Times, which has splashed on the figures, says since the 1940s Labour has only one before sunk this low, in May 2009, at the height of the banking crisis.
But another rule of polling is that it is, if you look at trends over a series of polls, they are a reliable guide to shifts in opinion. This confirms what almost all polling has implied since the European election, that Britain is becoming a four-way marginal. As YouGov explains in its write-up:
Broadly speaking, this is a continuation of the trend we have seen over the past few months of a movement away from two-party politics and towards a fairly even four-way split between Labour, Conservative, Lib Dems and the Brexit Party.
In the most recent poll 57% of Labour 2017 voters now say they would vote for another party, with 28% going to the Lib Dems, 15% moving to the Greens and 10% moving to the Brexit party.
Meanwhile 47% of Conservative 2017 voters also now say they will vote for another party, with most of that (38%) going to the Brexit party and a further 6% moving to the Lib Dems.
In a statement released by the People’s Vote campaign, which wants a second referendum on Brexit, the Labour MP Phil Wilson said:
Day after day, poll after poll shows the dismay among voters over Labour’s failure to offer a clear and principled position backing a final say referendum.
So long as the doubt and confusion continues over whether it will support a final say on any Brexit outcome - and on whether it will campaign to stay in the EU - Labour will continue to shed votes to parties like the Liberal Democrats.
This is refreshing. In normal circumstances government ministers don’t criticise each other in public. But discipline was breaking down anyway during the Brexit crisis, the Tory leadership contest created even more discord - it is impossible to have an election without disagreement - and this morning Caroline Dinenage, a health minister, has raided the Lib Dem lexicon to let us know what she thinks of Liz Truss, chief secretary to the Treasury.
Bollocks https://t.co/OG75MahMLn
Dinenage was responding to this tweet from Truss, a libertarian ultra who is supporting Boris Johnson.
If Boris wants to help Britain's poorest, scrapping the sugar tax is the place to start https://t.co/dHAkQOw8tb via @Telegraph
Dinenage explained her thinking her.
To clarify, sugar tax so far has raised 1/3 of predicted tax revenue ‘cos it’s prompted drink co’s to ⬇️ sugar in products, good news. To me this isn’t about ‘choice’, tiny kids have no choice over what they’re fed, it’s about incentivising food/drink co’s to use less sugar. https://t.co/Wsx3EyqzoJ
The Institute for Fiscal Studies has stepped up its criticism of the two Tory leadership candidate over their failure to provide proper costings for their spending plans. Paul Johnson, the IFS director, told the Press Association:
While the two candidates have put forward tens of billions of pounds worth of proposals to increase spending and cut taxes, they have provided no sense at all of what their overall fiscal strategy would be, what level of deficit and debt they would be happy with, or how they would deal with the problems of long term fiscal sustainability as set out by the Office for Budget Responsibility.
This is not currently a grown up discussion or strategy, it is a little more than a random throwing of sweeties at the children.