Key Events:
BETA Filters
Key Events (3)Penny Mordaunt (3)Liz Truss (3)UK (2)Daily Telegraph (2)Rishi Sunak (2)
Penny Mordaunt appeared to be telling Tory MPs this morning that they would “kill” the Conservative Party if they voted for one of her rivals. She posted a message on Twitter saying “Tory MPs – vote for Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss today and you’ll kill the party you love”, although the tweet has since been deleted.
Mordaunt tweet Photo: Twitter
In fact, Mordaunt was simply quoting the headline in a Daily Telegraph column he tweeted. It’s by Alison Pearson and in it she says that “Mordaunt, the Royal Navy reservist and centrist, can unite our divided country and, most importantly, prevent the Tories from being wiped out at the next election”.
Updated at 09.59 BST
Tobias Ellwood says the Tories risk a “long spell in opposition” due to infighting
Tobias Ellwood, the Conservative chairman of the House of Commons defense committee who was stripped of the whip for missing Monday’s confidence vote, told Sky News this morning that his party risked a “long period in opposition” due to infighting. He said:
The nation wants to be impressed and inspired, not demoralized by what they are currently witnessing. And maybe we should show more decency, lower the temperature a bit, show the ideas, the vision, focus on those things that are important, that the nation wants to see.
That’s what will earn us the right to stay in government, otherwise we’ll just get disillusioned and really commit ourselves to a possibly long spell in opposition.
Ellwood missed the vote because he was unable to return in time from a visit to Moldova. He said he regretted not being able to get to the Commons in time, and that he had kept the whips’ office informed of his situation. “There were travel issues,” he said. “I’m so sorry I didn’t come back.”
The removal of the whip means Ellwood can no longer vote in the parliamentary Tory leadership vote, and Ellwood refused to comment on speculation he was punished for backing Penny Mordaunt rather than the de facto No 10 candidate, Liz Truss. Explaining why he did not wish to comment, he said:
Then I would feed the blue on the blue [attacks]which I actually try to avoid.
Let’s focus on how we can move forward and make sure we finish this leadership campaign to the highest professional standard that I think the British people want to see.
UK inflation hits new 40-year high of 9.4% as fuel prices rise
Rising petrol and diesel prices for motorists and more expensive food pushed UK annual inflation to a new 40-year high of 9.4% last month, my colleague Larry Elliott reports.
Sunak vows to keep the ban on new wind farms in place as lawmakers choose the final two candidates
Good morning. Boris Johnson will take PMQs for the last time as Prime Minister at 12pm, and an hour later Conservative MPs will begin voting in what is set to be the final parliamentary leadership vote. At 4 p.m. we should find out who the two candidates are on the ballot for party members. Rishi Sunak, the former chancellor, is almost certain to be in it and Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, is likely to be there too, but Penny Mordaunt, the international trade secretary, has come second in all four previous polls and is also in with a chance .
All three candidates are making last-minute appeals to Tory MPs.
- Sunak has vowed to maintain the rules, which effectively ban new onshore wind farms in England. He made the pledge as he promised he would set a new ‘energy sovereignty’ target for 2045, so that at that point the UK produces as much energy as it uses. Sunak said:
I am committed to net zero consumption by 2050, but this cannot mean neglecting our energy security. So, although the legal target for energy sovereignty will be 2045, I will work day and night to ensure that we exceed this target, providing a safer future for the next generation.
Wind power will be an important part of our strategy, but I want to reassure communities that as Prime Minister I would scrap plans to ease the ban on onshore wind in England, focusing instead on building more turbines offshore.
David Cameron’s government has halted the creation of new onshore wind farms in England, excluding them from subsidies available for other forms of renewable energy and tightened planning laws, making it easier for communities to block developments. Johnson’s government floated the prospect of lifting these restrictions. Although onshore wind is a cheap form of renewable energy, the turbines are particularly unpopular with campaigners in Tory constituencies.
- Truss said he would lead a “government of all talent” if he became prime minister. In an article for the Daily Telegraph in which she reiterated her commitment to reversing the rise in National Insurance and temporarily suspending the green tax on energy bills, she said:
As Prime Minister, I would unite the party and lead a government of all talents, including the best and brightest of all Conservatives. The quality of the candidates running in this leadership race reflects how healthy our party is and how alive with ideas it remains.
This means that MPs from all wings of the party can be included in its government. Truss supporters have also revived suggestions that Mordaunt is not experienced enough to be prime minister. Simon Clarke, a Truss supporter and chief secretary to the Treasury, said one of the reasons he backed Truss was that she was up for the job “from day one”.
- Mordaunt insisted she was the only candidate who offered a “genuine fresh start”. This was reported to journalists by a source from her campaign team.
Today is continuity versus change for the Conservative Party. Penny spoke to colleagues this morning and so many of Tom and Cammy’s supporters are calling for change. As the only one not in Johnson’s cabinet, Penny is the only lawmaker left in the race who offers a real fresh start. Not every candidate would win an election, but time and time again polls have shown that Penny is the candidate Labor fears the most.
MPs have a choice today – the same old or a new start for the Conservative Party. Their colleagues, party members and voters across the country are crying out for something new, but only Penny Mordaunt can deliver it.
Here is the program for the day.
10am: Tom Tugendhat, the former Tory leadership candidate, hosts a phone-in on LBC, replacing James O’Brien, who is on holiday.
12pm: Boris Johnson takes PMQs for the last time as Prime Minister, facing off against Keir Starmer.
After 12.45pm: MPs begin the final day’s debate on the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill.
13:00: Conservative MPs begin voting in the fifth parliamentary party leadership vote. And it must be final unless there is a tie, in which case a new vote will be held. Voting ends at 3 p.m.
4pm: Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 Committee, announces the results of the vote – which should lead to the names of the two candidates who will be on the final ballot for party members.
I’m trying to follow the comments below the line (BTL), but it’s impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, include “Andrew” somewhere in it and I’m more likely to find it. I try to answer questions and if they’re of general interest I’ll post the question and answer above the line (ATL), although I can’t promise I’ll do this for everyone.
If you want to get my attention quickly, you’re probably better off using Twitter. I’m on @AndrewSparrow.
Alternatively you can email me at andrew.sparrow@theguardian.com
Updated at 10.00 BST
Add Comment