The final six candidates to become the next leader of the Conservative Party – and prime minister – are readying themselves for a second round of votes later, which will see at least one of them eliminated from the race. Former Chancellor Rishi Sunak leads the field, having gained support from 88 MPs in yesterday’s
Politics
The government has tabled a no confidence motion in itself after blocking Labour’s bid to remove Boris Johnson from office immediately. It means MPs will vote on whether they still have confidence in the prime minister’s administration, despite him stepping down from office in a few weeks. Labour’s request was for a confidence motion in
The first round of voting in the Conservative leadership race will take place today – and Tory MPs will be able to choose from eight contenders. Those vying to become the party’s new leader, and the next prime minister, will need to secure at least 30 votes in order to advance to the next stage.
The winner of the Conservative leadership contest will be unveiled on 5 September – and some candidates could be knocked out of the race today. Eleven Tory hopefuls have thrown their hat into the ring, but those who fail to get support from 20 MPs will not appear on the first ballot, which is due
Boris Johnson has said he is “determined” to fulfil his Conservative Party’s winning 2019 mandate in his final few weeks as leader – as he refuses to back any one leadership contender. Speaking to broadcasters for the first time since his resignation last week, Mr Johnson said he will continue to “oversee the process” before
Home Secretary Priti Patel has ruled herself out of the Conservative leadership race just hours before nominations close. The senior Conservative had been expected to launch a bid today, but released a statement saying her “focus” would remain on the day job. It comes after Transport Secretary Grant Shapps became the first to drop out
Nadhim Zahawi has said he is “clearly being smeared” after questions were reportedly raised about his personal finances before his appointment as chancellor. The former education secretary and vaccines minister, who is vying to take over from Boris Johnson, told Sky News he had “always” paid his taxes and had “declared” them in the UK.
Nine Tories have now declared in the race to replace Boris Johnson as prime minister in an increasingly crowded field with pledges on tax cuts dominating. International trade minister Penny Mordant became the latest to announce she was standing to become the next Tory leader, just as other candidates were setting out their stalls on
Tax policy is shaping up to be a deciding issue among the Tory leadership hopefuls. Former health secretaries Jeremy Hunt and Sajid Javid, who both announced their candidacy on Saturday, have said they will cut corporation tax. Both men said that they would scrap current government plans to raise the tax from 19% to 25%
Education minister Andrea Jenkyns has explained why she made a rude gesture while entering Downing Street this week. The Morley and Outwood MP made the sign with her hand on Thursday as she walked through the black gates, where she says a “baying mob” outside were insulting MPs on their way in. Ms Jenkyns, who
Replacing Boris Johnson as prime minister needs to be done “properly and professionally, but quickly”, Education Secretary James Cleverly has told Sky News. But the cabinet minister ruled himself out as a candidate to become prime minister after Mr Johnson’s resignation effectively fired the starting gun on the Conservative Party leadership race. He also disagreed
The resignation of Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid could be the final blow for Boris Johnson’s premiership after the political heavyweights attacked the PM’s “lack of integrity”, competence and leadership. The prime minister narrowly survived a confidence vote in him last month. Tory MPs voted by 211 to 148 in support of
Boris Johnson has told his cabinet ministers his government will not seek to implement new policies or make major changes of direction after he resigned as Conservative Party leader. Addressing his reshuffled top team of ministers for the first time since resigning earlier on Thursday, Mr Johnson said his priority is “to continue delivering on
The possibility Boris Johnson could stay on as a “caretaker” prime minister until the autumn after he resigns today has caused concerns among government and opposition leaders. The cabinet is split over whether Mr Johnson should stay or not until a new Conservative leader is appointed in October, sources close to the government have told
It has been an almost unbelievable 24 hours of political drama, as the resignations of Sajid Javid and Rishi Sunak triggered a run of events that look to have sealed Boris Johnson’s fate. Since that moment on Tuesday evening, the PM has endured dozens of government resignations, a delegation of cabinet ministers telling him to
Sajid Javid has said “the problem starts at the top” and is “not going to change” in a stinging criticism of Boris Johnson after resigning as health secretary last night. “Enough is enough,” said Mr Javid, as he declared he was no longer willing to “risk losing my integrity” by serving in Mr Johnson’s government.