Conservative Party leadership - live: Sunak and Truss in Birmingham as contest reaches final stages
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With only a week and a half until the next Prime Minister of the UK is announced, the finish line for the Tory leadership contest is in sight.
Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak have been fighting for the past two months to prove that Conservative Party members should lend their vote to them, and now they are in their last round of appearances to make the final push.
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Hide AdThe candidiates found themselves in Birmingham for the latest round of hustings.
Ms Truss and Mr Sunak once again clashed heads on their plans for combating the rising cost of living.
Ms Truss backed her tax-cutting plan, saying: “I give you the example of Britain where we cut corporation tax and we saw revenues increase.
“There is an example of where cutting taxes actually helped us attract more revenue into the Treasury and more growth into the economy.
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Hide Ad“This whole language of ‘unfunded’ tax cuts implies the static model, the so-called abacus economics that the Treasury orthodoxy has promoted for years, but it hasn’t worked in our economy because what we have ended up with is high tax, high spending and low growth.
“That is not a sustainable model for Britain’s future.”
Mr Sunak took aim at his opponent’s plans, saying: “I think unfunded tax cuts are wrong and do you know what? Her [Margaret Thatcher] chancellor Nigel Lawson agrees with me, the head of her policy unit agrees with me, Norman Lamont agrees with me.
“All of these people who understood Margaret Thatcher’s economics are supporting my economic plan because it is the right one for our country and it is a Conservative approach to managing the economy.”
Ms Truss also refused to answer whether or not she would introduce a new ethics adviser if she were to be voted into power.
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Hide AdWhen asked, the Foreign Secretary said: “I would put in place, if I was elected as prime minister, a strong chief whip.
“I would return them to Number 12 Downing Street so they are at the heart of Government and making sure there is zero tolerance of misbehaviour.”
She added: “I do think one of the problems we have got in this country in the way we approach things is we have numerous advisers and independent bodies, and rules and regulations.
“For me it’s about understanding the difference between right and wrong, and I am somebody who has always acted with integrity, I have always been clear about what I will do, I have followed through on my promises and been honest about the situation, and that is what I would do as prime minister.”
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Hide AdWho is favourite to win the contest?
Currently, Ms Truss is favourite to win the Tory leadership contest, with Paddy Power currently giving odds of 1/50 for the Foreign Minister becoming party leader and Prime Minister.
Mr Sunak’s odds currently sit at 10/1.
Latest updates on Tory leadership race
Poll: 69% of people think Boris Johnson should resign
A YouGov poll has found that 69% of people think the Prime Minister should now resign.
Victoria Atkins resigns as justice minister
Victoria Atkins has resigned as a justice minister, telling Boris Johnson “I can no longer pirouette around our fractured values” and “we can and must be better than this”.
‘The straw that has broken the camel’s back’: Tory MP submits letter of no confidence in PM
Ipswich Conservative MP Tom Hunt has submitted a letter of no confidence in the Prime Minister and called for him to resign, stating “events of the past week have been the straw that has broken the camel’s back”.
“I have come to the conclusion, like a large number of my colleagues, that it’s in the best interests of my constituents, the country and the Conservative Party for the Prime Minister to step down,” he said in a statement posted to Facebook.
“A continuation of the status quo cannot continue and, regretfully, I believe that the Prime Minister’s tenure in office has run its course. Up until now I’ve continued to support the Prime Minister … however, events of the past week have been the straw that has broken the camel’s back.”
Treasury minister John Glen resigns over PM’s ‘poor judgement'
In his letter of resignation, Treasury minister John Glen, the Tory MP for Salisbury, said Boris Johnson’s “poor judgement” made it “impossible for me to square continued service with my conscience”.
“After much thought and with deep regret I must inform you that I have made the difficult decision to resign from the government
“It has been a great privilege to serve as Economic Secretary to the Treasury under three Chancellors, but I can no longer reconcile my commitment to the role and to the financial services sector with the complete lack of confidence I have in your continuing leadership of our country.
“When we met earlier this year, you asked me to commit to carry on working to deliver vital reforms for our world leading financial services. Those reforms are now ready to be presented to parliament, and they represent a fundamental reset of the regulatory framework for the industry and consumers.
“Looking back over my tenure, I am proud to have helped steer the City of London through a period of uncertainty following our decision to leave the EU. I also gratefully acknowledge the unstinting hard work and brilliance of my team of civil servants in the Treasury.
“However, recent events concerning the handling of the appointment of the former Deputy Chief Whip, and the poor judgement you have shown, have made it impossible for me to square continued service with my conscience.
“The country deserves better, and I must return to the backbenches to dedicate myself to the service of the people of Salisbury and South Wiltshire.”
Tory MP Felicity Buchan resigns from role as PPS
Kensington MP Felicity Buchan has resigned from her role as parliamentary private secretary to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
In a letter posted to Twitter, she said “the current situation is untenable”.
PM understood to have told allies he is ‘not going anywhere'
Boris Johnson has insisted he will not leave No 10 despite a mounting revolt against his leadership.
Ministers and aides have continued to submit their resignations, while support is ebbing away from the Prime Minister among previously-loyal MPs.
But Mr Johnson is understood to have told allies that he is “not going anywhere” and his critics should “calm down”.
Robert Halfon admits loss of confidence in PM
Robert Halfon has admitted he has “lost confidence in the Prime Minister”.
In a letter posted to Twitter, the Tory MP for Harlow explained he was “previously against any leadership change … during Covid, a cost-of-living crisis and the war in Ukraine.
“However, after the events of the past few days and the resignation of Cabinet members, I feel that the public have been misled about the appointment of the former deputy chief whip.
“The parties at Number 10 Downing Street were bad enough but the appointment of this individual and the untruthful statement about what was known is unacceptable to me.”
Mr Halfon’s letter concluded that “if there is a vote for a change in leadership, I will now vote for that change”.
Schools Minister Robin Walker resigns
Robin Walker has quit as schools standards minister.
In his resignation, Mr Walker said: “Recent events have made it clear to me that our great party, for which I have campaigned all of my adult life, has become distracted from its core missions by a relentless focus on questions over leadership”.
The loss of Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid “reflects a worrying narrowing of the broad church that I believe any Conservative government should seek to achieve”, he added in his letter to Boris Johnson.
He told Mr Johnson the “great achievements” of the government had been “overshadowed by mistakes and questions about integrity”.
Zahawi vows to honour pledge on teachers’ pay
Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi has said he will honour a pledge made as education secretary to raise teachers’ starting salaries by 9%.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, he said: “My submission to the pay review body was to say we need to get teachers’ starting salaries to £30,000 and that’s where the 9% pay rise – we will deliver on that this year and 7.7% next year, and of course for more senior teachers my submission to the pay review body was 5% over two years.
“We will look across government, across departments at what the pay review bodies will recommend.”
Mr Zahamwi said he had submitted the plans for a pay raise for teachers as Education Secretary and that had been a manifesto pledge.
He added: “We will deliver on that pledge, that is a promise I make teachers.”
Zahawi admits government made ‘mistake’ regarding Pincher
Nadhim Zahawi has said the government made a “mistake” regarding Chris Pincher.
Mr Pincher quit as deputy chief whip last week following claims that he groped two men at the upmarket Carlton Club, but Mr Johnson knew about allegations against him as far back as 2019.
The new Chancellor addressed the scandal on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, saying: “It’s a fast-moving situation. We make decisions at warp speed. And when you make a mistake, it’s right to come out and say ‘I made a mistake’.
“And, of course, the Prime Minister (said) ‘with the benefit of hindsight, I shouldn’t have appointed Chris Pincher to the position of deputy chief’.
“I think, in my view, that is the right way to deal with this – when you know you’ve made a mistake, is to come out and own it.”
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