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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Politics
Andrew Sparrow and Claire Phipps

Angela Eagle withdraws from Labour leadership contest – as it happened

Angela Eagle pulls out of Labour leadership race

Afternoon summary

  • Boris Johnson, the new foreign secretary, has brushed aside claims that he is a liar and that should apologise for offensive comments he has made in the past about foreign leaders in his first press conference as foreign secretary. Standing alongside John Kerry, the US secretary of state, Johnson faces particularly hostile questions from American journalists, one of whom said he had a history of lying and another of whom quoted unflattering things he had written about President Obama and Hillary Clinton. Johnson insisted that he was focusing now on the big issues he had to deal with as foreign secretary. He said:

We can all spend an awfully long time going over lots of stuff that I’ve written in the last 30 years - all of which, in my view, have been taken out of context, but never mind. There are some serious issues before us today ....

I’m afraid that there is such a rich thesaurus now of things that I have said that have been, one way or another, through what alchemy I do not know, somehow misconstrued that it would really take me too long to engage in a full-blown itinerary or apology to all concerned. And I think most people who read these things, in their proper context, can see exactly what was intended.

  • Downing Street has insisted that the government remains committed to getting net migration below 100,000. The prime minister’s spokeswoman clarified the government’s stance after Amber Rudd, the new home secretary, suggested this was no longer a target. Rudd told the BBC:

The prime minister has said is that we must bring migration down to sustainable levels so that’s what is going to be my aim at the moment.

Pressed on whether the net migration target had changed, Rudd said:

I’m going to stick to my comment which is about bringing it down to sustainable levels. That has to be the most important thing for the country. Immigration was a key factor in the Brexit campaign as net levels exceeded 330,000 last year.

That’s all from me for today.

Thanks for the comments.

Asked if she had done a deal with Owen Smith about taking a job, Angela Eagle replied:

I’m supporting Owen. We are going to be in lockstep together arguing for an effective, united Labour party doing its job as Her Majesty’s Opposition in opposing this government.

She also said that the gap between her and Smith in terms of nominations was “quite narrow” but that she did not think it was in Labour’s interests for the contest between Eagle and Smith to continue.

Eagle says she is withdrawing 'in best interests of Labour party' to let Smith challenge Corbyn

This is what Angela Eagle told the BBC about her decision to quit.

I want to thank my own supporters for the faith that they showed in me in this leadership election. We’ve finished the first day of nominations. Owen Smith has a lead, and I think that it’s in the best interests of the Labour party that we now come together so that we can have one candidate.

So I’m announcing tonight that I’m withdrawing from this race and supporting Owen. I would like to congratulate Owen on coming top in this race and then going on to take on Jeremy Corbyn.

We have the Labour party at the moment that is not working. We’ve got a leader that does not have the confidence of his members of parliament and isn’t reaching out to the country.

We need to have a strong and united Labour party so that we can be a good opposition, take the fight to the Conservative government and heal our country. So I am announcing tonight that I will be supporting Owen in that endeavour with all of my enthusiasm and might.

And I would also like to say to the people outside watching this, if you are a supporter of the Labour party, if you want the Labour party to be an effective opposition who can take on the Tories and win, please go to the Labour party website, sign up as a registered supporter and join this fight. You have until 5 o’clock tomorrow.

These are from ITV’s Robert Peston.

Angela Eagle says she looks forward to Owen Smith taking on Corbyn

This is from the BBC’s Jack Evans.

Angela Eagle 'pulls out of Labour leadership contest'

Angela Eagle is pulling out of the Labour leadership contest, Robert Peston reports.

This is from ITV’s Robert Peston.

This is from my colleague Anusthka Asthana.

This is from the BBC’s Iain Watson.

Angela Eagle 'set to make leadership contest statement'

Angela Eagle is set to make a statement, Huffington Post’s Paul Waugh reports.

There are suspicions that she will announce she is pulling out from the Labour leadership, allowing Owen Smith to take on Jeremy Corbyn, because Smith has more support amongst MPs. (See 5.04pm.)

The Labour party has not yet published the figures for how many MPs are nominating Angela Eagle and Owen Smith, but my colleague Anushka Asthana has a steer.

Here are two tweets on Boris Johnson’s performance.

From Bloomberg’s Robert Hutton

Except it wasn’t a long time ago, Adam Bienkov from politics.co.uk points out.

Here are some pictures for the expression on John Kerry’s face when Boris Johnson was asked by an American journalist why Kerry should believe him given his record of telling lies. (See 4.34pm.)

Turning back to the Labour leadership contest, my colleague Anushka Asthana has an update.

Q: [To Johnson] You have a history of misrepresentations and lies. Why should Kerry believe what you say?

Johnson says people are “more than welcome” to rake over what he has written over many years, but he wants to get on with the problems facing the world today. Most people paying their taxes would want that, he says.

Q: Is there any chance of prioritising the UK over countries already in the queue for a trade deal?

Kerry says that would be impossible. Until the UK leaves the EU, it is still part of the EU. He says he is working to make progress on TTIP. TTIP is even more important for Europe now than it was, he says. He says he wants to demythologise it. Regulations do not go downwards, he says. It won’t stop countries having strict standards, he says. He says there has not been enough pro-advocacy of its benefits. He accepts that people may have voted for Brexit because they felt they were not getting the benefits of globalisation. He says TTIP will help to ensure that people do benefit from globalisation.

He says in Europe people’s incomes and chances have been significantly improved by globalisation.

  • Kerry says TTIP will help people share in the benefits in globalisation.

Johnson says he passionately agrees with this.

People on low wages have not felt the benefits of globalisation.

The answer to that is to invest in skills and to increase people’s productivity. We have to be more outward looking, more free-trading, he says.

  • Johnson says UK needs to become more outward-looking and more free-trading after Brexit.

The press conference is over.

I will post a summary soon.

Q: Is the UK still going to be at the back of the queue for a trade deal?

Kerry says that the US trade representative has said that the US will talk about a trade deal with the US.

Johnson says it is impossible to enter into a trade deal while the UK is still in the EU.

Q: Amber Rudd has refused to commit the government to getting net migration below 100,000.

Johnson says Rudd is right not to commit to numbers, because you do not want to disappoint people.

But when the UK leaves the EU, it will be able able to exert controls.

And, as for the heat (mentioned by the questioner), we have some spare water cannon, he says.

Johnson jokes that apologising for all his past comments deemed offensive would take too long

Q: [To Johnson] You said President Obama disliked the UK because he was part-Kenyan. And you have likened Hillary Clinton to a sadistic nurse, and to Lady Macbeth. Do you take these comments back?

Johnson says he would like to repeat what he said earlier. There is a rich thesaurus of things he has said that have been misconstrued that it would take too long to apologise for them.

And people who read them in their context will see that he was misunderstood.

He says the current problems are more important than any obiter dicta from the past.

  • Johnson says that his past comments have been “misconstrued” - and that apologising for them all would take too long.

Q: [To Kerry] Given what Johnson said during the EU referendum campaign, is he what the UK and the US needs?

Kerry says the subjects he is working on with Johnson have nothing to do with the EU referendum. He is confident that they will be able to work together.

On the referendum, he says the people have voted. We all respect democracy. He and President Obama wanted a different vote. But they respect the result.

He says he is “absolutely confident” that he can work with Johnson.

  • Kerry says Johnson’s EU referendum record will not stop them working together.
  • He praises Johnson’s “considerable intellect and values”.

Johnson and Kerry's Q&A

Q: Six months ago you [Johnson] said the US should work with Assad. Now you say he should go. What has changed?

Johnson says he has always thought President Assad should go. The situation is hellish. But if there is a way through, it must involve the regime making peace, and a transition away from Assad. It won’t be easy, but it is the best way forward.

Q: Will you apologise to all the world leaders you have offended?

Johnson says they could spend time going over what he has written over the last 30 years. They have all been taken out of context. But there are important issues to discuss.

Q: [To Kerry] Is the UK still at the back of the queue for a trade deal with the US?

Kerry says there are complicated questions posed by Brexit. But May, Johnson and Philip Hammond had been making responsible statements. They have been talking about how the problems can be minimised.

The UK has to work to define its new trade relationship with the EU.

And the British say they cannot sign a new trade deal until they are no longer members of the EU, he says.

People need to talk, he says. Everyone has very high stakes. Citizens depend on the prosperity that has come from globalisation over recent years. But not enough has gone to enough people.

Q; Have you ever met a foreign minister like Johnson?

Kerry says he served in the senate, he was a prosecutor, he has been secretary of state. He has met everyone like Johnson. And he does not even know what the questioner means. And the American ambassador was at Oxford with him. He told Kerry Johnson was very smart.

Johnson thanks Kerry.

It’s called diplomacy, says Kerry.

Kerry says he wants to close by talking about being so close to the place from where Churchill led the country during the war. Churchill spoke to the US congress about what can be achieved when the US and the UK work together heart and hand. Today’s problems are more complicated, he says.

This is from BuzzFeed’s Emily Ashton.

Kerry says May has assured him UK still intends to play a leading role in global affairs

Kerry says the US also depends on a close relationship with the EU.

He says Amercia wants the smoothest possible transition to Brexit. And it wants a collaborative EU/UK relationship.

He says he was encouraged by what he heard from May and Johnson. The UK still intends to lead internationally, he says.

  • Kerry says May has assured him UK still intends to play a leading role in global affairs.

Kerry says there has not been a time when the world has faced so many global challenges.

The US is engaged in more places simultaneously than at any time in its history.

He says he and Johnson spoke about Syria, about Ukraine, about the Middle East, about Turkey, about the climate change agreement, and about Iran.

John Kerry is speaking now.

He says he has had frank and good discussions with Theresa May and Johnson.

He saw Johnson yesterday. And he will see him later in the week in Washington, he says.

He thanks May for her pronounced commitment to the special relationship.

He says she is “clearly ready to hit the ground running” as PM.

He says May is committed to the “precious bonds” that bind the UK together. That is reassuring, he says.

He says he wants to reaffirm the special and unbreakable ties uniting the US and the UK. “These are more than words,” he says. It is a relationship built up by years of common endeavour and common sacrifice. No shift of administration will break that, he says. The relationship is founded on families ties, and history, and a shared belief in markets and rights, he says.

The US depends on a strong UK. We mean united, he says. And it depends on an engaged UK too, he says.

Johnson says he wants to see 'more Britain abroad'.

Johnson ends with some general comments about his new job.

He says he wants to reshape Britain’s profile, to make it even greater.

He says the government has to implement Brexit.

But that does not mean leaving Europe, he says.

  • Johnson says Brexit will not mean the UK leaving Europe.
  • He says he wants to see “more Britain abroad”.

The press conference is starting.

Boris Johnson welcomes John Kerry to London.

He says they have had a very productive bilateral.

He says the special relationship between the US and the UK remains strong and vital.

He and Kerry will soon be joined by European colleagues for a meeting on Syria. Syria continues to be ravaged by Daesh. The Syrian support group is investigating a pathway to peace. It set out a framework for peace. But the current situation in Syria is still dire. In Aleppo there are 300,000 people besieged. The country is facing a humanitarian catastrophe, and a leap in the number of refugees leaving.

  • Johnson says situation in Syria is “dire” and refugee numbers could rise.

He says later this evening he and Kerry will join foreign ministers from Saudia Arabia and UAE to discuss Yemen. He encourages people to seek peace in good faith.

And this is from John Kerry’s spokesman, John Kirby.

Here is the American ambassador, Matthew Barzun, tweeting about Theresa May’s meeting with John Kerry.

Boris Johnson's press conference with John Kerry

Boris Johnson, the new foreign secretary, is about to hold a press conference at the Foreign Office with John Kerry, the US secretary of state. It is Johnson’s first press conference since joining the cabinet.

There is a live feed at the top of this blog.

Boris Johnson arrives at 10 Downing Street this morning.
Boris Johnson arrives at 10 Downing Street this morning. Photograph: Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP/Getty Images

Truss to continue with Gove's prison reform programme 'at pace'

The new justice secretary, Liz Truss, is to press ahead with her predecessor Michael Gove’s radical prison reform programme “at pace” despite a fresh warning from the chief inspector of prisons that a continuing upsurge in jail violence is putting it at risk.

Truss, responding to the warning from the chief inspector, Peter Clarke, said it demonstrated why prison reform is so important to create safe jails. She said:

I want to see radical reform and I am under no illusions about the scale of the challenge we face or how long reform takes ... I will set out the next steps for this agenda in coming weeks but I am clear that the vital work of prison reform will continue at pace.

Her statement will dispel fears amongst penal reformers that Truss was ready to ditch Gove’s radical prison reforms as she had co-authored a 2011 book calling for prisons to be made be ‘tough, unpleasant and uncomfortable’ places of punishment.

Liz Truss, the justice secretary.
Liz Truss, the justice secretary. Photograph: Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP/Getty Images

Two Labour MPs, Jim McMahon and Judith Cummins, have notched up what is thought to be a PLP first. They are both flying to the US on a trip, but they have managed to submit nominations for the leadership contest from the plane using the onboard wifi. They are both backing Owen Smith.

Here is my colleague Anushka Asthana with the latest from the Labour leadership contest.

May to chair three new cabinet committees

Downing Street has announced that Theresa May is going to chair three new cabinet committees, covering leaving the EU, social reform and the economy and industrial strategy.

Briefing journalists, the prime minister’s spokeswoman said May’s decision to chair these committees herself was not driven by a desire to stop cabinet ministers squabbling. The spokeswoman said:

The idea that it is in some way to manage relations between cabinet ministers, that is not what it was about, and actually at cabinet this morning you saw the prime minister really encouraging a collective government approach, a lengthy discussion on the economy, with different ministers contributing their views on the issues ahead. It went over 90 minutes, I think, because that reflected her wanting to take contributions from around the table.

Meg Russell, director of the Constitution Unit, has written a useful blog looking at what would happen in parliament if the Labour party were to split. Here’s an extract:

Although there would doubtless be some confusion, and perhaps bitter arguments about money, the parliamentary arrangements after a party split would hence probably be quite straightforward. In short, if a majority group broke away from Labour it would quickly obtain most of the privileges of the current opposition. Although it might be subject to argument, this would probably apply even if those breaking away simply called themselves ‘Independent Labour’ rather than legally splitting from the existing Labour party and resigning their membership. This could, of course, ultimately result in their expulsion from the Labour party – though this would be likely to depend on whether the Corbyn faction retained a majority on the party’s national executive committee.

This situation becomes more complex if a general election is held. The new grouping could not run as a political party without registering as such with the electoral commission, and thus becoming more explicitly and legally separate from the Labour party. But candidates could run as independents, and the situation would presumably by then be relatively well-known to the electorate. Many candidates would also be well-known to their local voters.

Here are two tweets about how Angela Eagle and Owen Smith are doing in terms of securing nominations for the Labour leadership from MPs.

From STV’s Harry Smith

From the BBC’s Chris Gibson

Lunchtime summary

  • A YouGov poll suggests that Corbyn would easily beat either Eagle or Smith in the leadership contest and that Corbyn is more popular with members now than he was at the time of the no confidence vote in him. (See 9.09am.)
  • Philip Hammond has told MPs that he does not believe in “the money tree” in his first Treasury questions as chancellor. Stressing his commitment to cutting the deficit, while confirming that the government has abandoned plans to balance the budget by 2019-20, he told John McDonnell, his Labour opposite number:

Since this is our first outing together, let me take the opportunity of making clear to you that I do not believe in the money tree. I am clear that we have to pay our way in the world. We have a very large fiscal deficit that we have to address but while doing it we also have to ensure that we maximise the productive capability of the UK economy.

Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, has started putting up a refugee family in a cottage in the grounds of Lambeth Palace under a new government scheme formally launched today.

As the Press Association reports, the scheme will see churches, charities, faith groups and businesses provide housing and support for those brought to Britain from Syria and other countries in the Middle East and North Africa under resettlement programmes. Organisations will provide housing for refugees and help them integrate into life in the UK, gain access to medical and social services and arrange English language lessons.

Launching the Full Community Sponsorship scheme (pdf) at Lambeth Palace, Amber Rudd, the home secretary, she had the met the family - which includes children aged four to 10. The youngsters told her they all wanted to be doctors when they grow up. Rudd said:

The response of the British public to the refugee crisis has been one of overwhelming generosity and many have been moved to make kind offers of assistance. This is a ground-breaking new development for resettlement in the UK and I wholeheartedly encourage organisations that can help to offer their support.

I hope that this new approach will help bring communities together and support these often traumatised and vulnerable families as they rebuild their lives, and contribute to and thrive in our country.

Welby said:

Refugees, like all people, are treasured human beings, made in the image of God, who deserve safety, freedom and the opportunity to flourish. It is an enormous privilege to welcome a family to live in a cottage in the grounds of Lambeth Palace.

The scheme is based on a successful Canadian model which reportedly has more communities offering to sponsor refugees than actual refugees. Individuals and groups take responsibility for families for a year, finding them a home and education.

The Home Office said sponsoring organisations wishing to apply must have status as either a registered charity or “community interest company”, the consent of the local authority in which they wish to operate and a “comprehensive plan” for resettlement. All resettled refugees will have been through a thorough security vetting process.

Amber Rudd and the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby arriving at the launch of the Help Refugees in the UK scheme.
Amber Rudd and the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby arriving at the launch of the Help Refugees in the UK scheme. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Here is John Kerry, the US secretary of state, meeting Theresa May in Number 10 (once he managed to get through the door - see 12.35pm.)

Theresa May holds talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Downing Street.
Theresa May holds talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Downing Street. Photograph: Hannah McKay/PA

John Kerry, the US secretary of state, has got a press conference with Boris Johnson, the foreign secretary, this afternoon. But he went into Downing Street first.

Unfortunately for US-UK relations, he appeared to get the door shut in his face.

Updated

In Treasury questions Philip Hammond, the new chancellor, told MPs that he did not believe in “the money tree”.

Jeremy Corbyn is asking a court to allow him to personally fight a legal action launched in a bid to overturn the Labour Party’s decision to guarantee him a place on the leadership ballot, the Press Association reports.

A High Court claim brought by Labour donor Michael Foster, a former parliamentary candidate, is currently against one named defendant - the party’s general secretary Iain McNicol, who is being sued in a representative capacity.

But Corbyn wishes to be added as a party to the proceedings as second defendant.

His application was heard by Master Victoria McCloud at a preliminary hearing at the High Court in London.

Written argument in support of his application states: “His personal interest in the subject matter of this litigation is pressing and obvious and distinguishes him from the general body of members represented by Mr McNicol.”

The case, which is expected to be aired fully on July 26, follows the decision of Labour’s national executive committee (NEC) that the leader should automatically be included in the contest.

NEC members wrestled with legal advice for six hours over whether Corbyn would need to secure 51 nominations to make it on to the ballot paper after both sides insisted the party rulebook backed their case.

The written document before the court also says that Foster’s legal action “seeks, in effect, to reverse this decision so that Mr Corbyn will not be eligible to stand as a candidate in the forthcoming leadership election unless he secures the requisite number of nominations in the time limited by the rules”.

Corbyn was not present for Tuesday’s hearing. The court heard he had wished to attend but had a number of “pressing engagements”.

Judgment will be given at 10.30am on Wednesday.

The full tables from the YouGov poll of Labour members are now on the YouGov website, here (pdf).

And here is the politics professor Rob Ford commenting on the figures.

Ford is referring to these figures.

In the Commons John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, asks Philip Hammond for an assurance that the government will compensate councils for any money they lose when EU structural funds disappear.

David Gauke, the chief secretary to the Treasury, says this is an issue that the government will address in due course.

Philip Hammond is taking his first Treasury questions as chancellor.

Asked about deficit reduction, he says the government has abandoned its plan to bring the budget into surplus by 2019-20. But the government will still have to address the deficit, he says. He says he will give more details in the autumn statement.

Philip Hammond.
Philip Hammond. Photograph: BBC/BBC Parliament

Here is a Guardian video of Theresa May addressing her first cabinet meeting.

Theresa May tells first cabinet meeting: ‘We won’t be a government defined by Brexit’

Eagle and Smith said to be 'neck and neck' in terms of getting leadership nominations from Labour MPs

Labour MPs have until 5pm tomorrow to nominate candidates in the leadership contest. The contest is taking place because Angela Eagle secured the 51 nominations from MPs and MEPs needed to trigger a contest, but those names were never published and effectively she and Owen Smith (who entered the contest after Eagle) have to start from scratch collecting new numbers. The party is expected to publish an update saying how many nominations candidates have received after 5pm today.

There have been claims that Smith is ahead of Eagle, but Eagle’s allies insist this is wrong. They say they have had tellers outside the PLP office today and that Smith and Eagle are neck and neck in terms of nominations. They believe that Eagle’s strong performance at the PLP hustings yesterday has made an impact.

Sources are also confirming that Eagle and Smith have done a deal to ensure that only one of them goes forward to challenge Corbyn. Eagle and Smith spoke twice about this by phone yesterday, and they both accept that the PLP only wants one candidate to challenge Corbyn. There has been speculation that they could end up running on a joint ticket, with the candidate who drops out being lined up for the shadow chancellor role, but this has not been confirmed.

But we are not expected to learn which candidate will drop out until nominations close tomorrow.

Here is Jeremy Corbyn being doorstepped as he left home this morning.

After yesterday’s Trident debate, the SNP argued that the result underlined how Scotland’s democratic deficit was only getting worse post-EU referendum, with 58 out of 59 MPs north of the border voting to scrap the programme.

Today, Scotland’s politicians are returning their attention to how they might settle that EU democratic deficit, with a cross-party committee of MSPs meeting diplomats from Iceland, Norway, Ireland and elsewhere in Brussels.

Joan McAlpine, convenor of Holyrood’s European and External Relations Committee, describes the trip as an initial fact-finding exercise to investigate what the options are for preserving Scotland’s place in the EU after the UK Brexit vote, and to sound out other countries’ views.

It’s highly unusual for a committee to meet during the Holyrood recess, so this trip is a mark of the urgency felt amongst MSPs, who all (except Tory abstainers) voted at the end of June to support first minister Nicola Sturgeon in her efforts to try to secure Scotland’s relationship with the EU and its place in the single market.

May tells cabinet that government must be defined by social reform, not just Brexit

Theresa May is chairing her first cabinet meeting this morning, and a TV camera crew was let in to film her opening words. May told her colleagues that politics “isn’t a game” and that she did not want the government to be defined just be Brexit. She said:

Politics isn’t a game. The decisions that we take around the table affect people’s day to day lives in this country. And we have the challenge of Brexit, and Brexit does mean that, by forging a new role for the United Kingdom in the world. But we won’t be a government that is defined just by Brexit. We will also be a government defined by the social reform that we undertake.

Theresa May chairing cabinet.
Theresa May chairing cabinet. Photograph: Sky News
Theresa May chairing cabinet.
Theresa May chairing cabinet. Photograph: Sky News

After May’s opening words, cabinet ministers banged their table in approval.

Cabinet ministers banging the table with approval as Theresa May speaks.
Cabinet ministers banging the table with approval as Theresa May speaks. Photograph: Sky News

Theresa May is chairing her first cabinet meeting this morning at Number 10.

Here are some of the arrival photographs.

Here is Theresa May arriving at Number 10. (Downing Street said yesterday she and her husband had not moved into the prime minister’s flat yet.)

Theresa May arriving at No 10.
Theresa May arriving at No 10. Photograph: James Shaw/REX/Shutterstock

Here’s Boris Johnson, the new foreign secretary.

Boris Johnson arrives in Downing Street.
Boris Johnson arrives in Downing Street. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA

David Davis, the new Brexit secretary, looks pleased to be there.

David Davis arrives in Downing Street.
David Davis arrives in Downing Street. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA

And Liam Fox, the international trade secretary, looks quite exuberant too.

Liam Fox arrives in Downing Street.
Liam Fox arrives in Downing Street. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA

Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, arrived with his jacket off.

Health secretary Jeremy Hunt, leader of the Commons David Lidington and transport secretary Chris Grayling (left to right) arrive in Downing Street.
Health secretary Jeremy Hunt, leader of the Commons David Lidington and transport secretary Chris Grayling (left to right) arrive in Downing Street. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA

While Priti Patel, the international development secretary, opted for shades.

Priti Patel arrives in Downing Street.
Priti Patel arrives in Downing Street. Photograph: Dominic Lipnski/PA

Corbyn even more popular with Labour members following no confidence motion, poll suggests

Claire has already mentioned the YouGov poll of Labour members in the Times (paywall) but it is worth looking at the figures in more detail. YouGov polled Labour members during the leadership contest last year and their findings turned out be be a reliable guide to the eventual outcome.

Here are the key points.

  • Corbyn has a lead of more than 20 points over both his main rivals, the YouGov poll suggests. In a two-way contest he would beat Angela Eagle by 24 points and Owen Smith by 22 points, the poll suggests. And if all three were on the ballot Corbyn (on 54%) would be 18 points ahead of the combined total of Eagle (21%) and Smith (15%) on first preference votes, the poll suggests.
  • There is no clear evidence to show whether Eagle or Smith would have the better chance challenging Corbyn. Eagle is ahead of Smith on first preference votes if both names are included (perhaps reflecting the fact she is better known). But the poll also suggests that Corbyn’s lead over Smith in a two-way contest would be marginally smaller than his lead over Eagle. In truth, the figures suggest that, if the election were held now, Corbyn would easily trounce either of them.
  • Corbyn’s net approval rating with Labour members has gone up over the last three weeks, from +3 to +14, despite Labour MPs passing a motion of no confidence in him. This may be the most remarkable finding in the survey, and perhaps the “despite” in my previous sentence was inappropriate. It may well be the case that Corbyn’s approval ratings have gone up precisely because he is perceived at war with his MPs. If so, this suggests that Labour’s attempt to find a leader acceptable to both members and its MPs could be doomed to failure. YouGov is comparing Corbyn’s current ratings to his ratings in a poll conducted between 27 and 30 June. The no confidence motion was passed on 28 June.
  • There has also been a sharp increase in the proportion of Labour members saying they would definitely vote for Corbyn in a leadership contest (from 36% three weeks ago to 44%), saying they would definitely or probably vote for him (from 50% to 57%) and saying he should lead the party into the next election (from 41% to 47%). Again, these figures suggest the no confidence motion has boosted Corbyn’s standing in the party.
YouGov poll of Labour members.
YouGov poll of Labour members. Photograph: YouGov

Good morning. I’m Andrew Sparrow, taking over from Claire.

If you want to know how your MP voted in the Trident debate last night, we have a full set of party-by-party voting lists here.

Hilary Benn: Labour 'will not split'

Hilary Benn says he has no leadership ambitions himself:

I am supporting Angela [Eagle] … it’s about time for Labour to have a woman leader.

But he says more important is her experience, integrity and courage.

There is a strong view … that there should be only one challenger.

I think that would be preferable, it’s the view of most MPs.

He says Owen Smith and Eagle met yesterday to discuss “how to get out of this situation”:

Jeremy has made a huge contribution and will continue to do so.

The problem is most MPs don’t think he has what it takes to be a leader, Benn says.

He says he will give his full support to anyone who is elected as long as the membership does not choose Corbyn in September. But regardless, he says:

The Labour party is not going to split … It doesn’t belong to one particular group or any one individual.

I trust Labour party members … will realise, for all Jeremy’s qualities … how can he credibly turn to the people of Britain and say elect me as your prime minister?

Hilary Benn, formerly the shadow foreign secretary until his middle-of-the-night sacking sent Corbyn’s shadow cabinet spiralling, is now speaking on the Today programme about last night’s Trident vote.

The longstanding policy of the Labour party has been to support the maintenance of our nuclear deterrent.

He says most MPs voted yesterday in line with party policy. The leader, Jeremy Corbyn, did not, but Benn points out:

No one for a second thought that Jeremy would do anything other than stand up and express his long-held view … but it’s not the view of the Labour party.

He says all Labour MPs want to see a world free of nuclear weapons, but:

Britain giving it up would not persuade any of the other nuclear states to follow our example.

Benn says most people would not feel safe if the only country in possession of nuclear weapons was North Korea.

After apparently crashing shortly after opening the window for registering as a supporter – which, in exchange for £25, gets you a vote in the Labour leadership election – the Labour website now seems to be functioning without problems.

Until 5pm UK time on Wednesday, those who fancy it – and can promise they’re on board with the “aims and values of the Labour party and … not a supporter of any organisation opposed to it” – can sign up here.

Sarah Wollaston, who chairs that health select committee, is on the Today programme.

She says MPs on the committee accept that health spending is going up, but that money has been shifted out of budgets for public health and training, as well as what she calls the “ongoing squeeze” on social care.

She says the government ought to consider a sugar tax, among other measures, in order to reduce future demand on the NHS.

Sarah Wollaston.
Sarah Wollaston. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA

Updated

The other item on the agenda when the Commons health select committee meets is, of course, its very critical report about pledges made by the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, on NHS funding.

As the Guardian’s health policy editor, Denis Campbell, reports:

The cross-party group of MPs refutes the health secretary’s persistent claim the government will have given the NHS in England an extra £8.4bn by 2020-21 compared with 2015-16. That was one of the Conservatives’ key pledges in last year’s general election campaign, and was repeated many times after that by David Cameron and George Osborne while they were still the prime minister and the chancellor.

It claims ministers have in effect performed a sleight of hand by cutting other parts of the Department of Health’s budget, such as public health and NHS staffing, in order to give NHS England itself a big increase in its budget. Critics have previously likened the strategy to “robbing Peter to pay Paul”.

Simon Stevens, the chief executive of NHS England, appears before MPs on the health select committee later on Tuesday. And a column by Stevens in the Telegraph today gives a strong hint of what he’ll be saying:

The NHS wasn’t on the Brexit ballot. But it often felt as if it was. Emblazoned on the Battlebus, both Leave and Remain wrapped themselves in the mantle of a strong and better funded health service.

Stevens sets out several priorities for the health service – not all of them Brexit-related. But on that point, he argues:

We’re still going to need committed professionals from abroad. Australian-style immigration points systems all admit nurses, doctors and other skilled experts.

It should be completely uncontroversial to provide early reassurance to international NHS employees about their continued welcome in this country.

Morning briefing

Good morning and welcome to our daily politics live blog.

Here’s a rattle-through all you need to know to set you up for Tuesday, before the live blog takes you along the way.

The big picture

It’s Theresa May’s first cabinet meeting this morning, and her freshly minted foreign secretary is talking Syria with his US and European counterparts, but – as frequently tends to be the case these days – much attention will be on Labour, nursing a post-Trident vote hangover as it decides who to put forward as the “unity candidate” against Jeremy Corbyn.

Labour MPs have until 5pm on Wednesday to nominate one of the three leadership candidates: Angela Eagle, Owen Smith or Corbyn (who, of course, doesn’t actually need any nominations to make the ballot paper, but probably wouldn’t mind at least a handful). Pressure is growing within the PLP for Eagle or Smith to make way for the other once we know which of them has mustered most support from colleagues – an indicative list of who’s backing whom this afternoon might be enough to give one of them a nudge.

Smith has said he would concede if Eagle wins more support, but it’s not yet a reciprocal deal. Asked at a hustings on Monday by Yvette Cooper if the contender with fewest MPs would step aside, Eagle replied:

The person with the fewest nominations is Jeremy.

A YouGov poll of Labour members published in the Times today, though, says Corbyn would still thwack his rivals convincingly, with 44% saying they would definitely vote for him and another 13% saying they probably would.

Against Eagle, the poll of 1,019 members found Corbyn would emerge with a 24-point advantage, 58% to her 34%. A battle with Smith would incite a little more wavering: 56% for Corbyn v 34% for Smith.

Jeremy Corbyn has taken a full-page advertisement on the back of the Guardian, 19 July 2016, to urge support in the forthcoming Labour leadership campaign.

Corbyn is hitting back – and doing his bit for the survival of the print media – with a full-page ad on the back of the Guardian today, urging supporters to sign up in the short window – more of a cat-flap, really – open to new voters.

Written in the tone of a teacher who’s not angry so much as terribly disappointed, Corbyn’s ad says he’d “rather be fighting the Tories” than waging a leadership contest: “I want to get back to work.”

Ah, work, yes, that thing MPs do in between leadership tussles and reshuffles and battle bus-riding. There was a reminder of that last night as the Commons voted thumpingly in favour of renewing Trident, by 472 to 117, a majority of 355. Among the nays, one J. Corbyn, who answered criticism from his own MPs that this was in breach of the party’s own pro-Trident policy:

Party policy is also to review our policies.

A retort that suggests there are no policies now, except perhaps for a policy that says policies can be changed, but then maybe you can change that policy, too, who knows?

There were 140 Labour MPs who voted for renewal, 47 against, and one (Rupa Huq) who abstained by voting in both the aye and no lobbies. Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry and shadow defence secretary Clive Lewis, having slammed the timing of the vote as “shameful game-playing”, were marked as absent, along with seven other members of the shadow cabinet, and presumably will need to bring in a note from a parent today.

Plus one Tory MP risks having his phone confiscated:

See how MPs from all parties voted here. Some 58 of Scotland’s 59 MPs (there’s one Tory MP in Scotland, non-coincidentally) voted against the renewal of Trident, giving the SNP a fresh chance to dangle the prospect of a second independence referendum – a move that could potentially see submarines evicted from Faslane.

Does anyone have a Brexit plan yet?

On the subject of evictions … the high court today will hear a legal challenge over whether parliament – and not simply a nod from the prime minister – can set in motion article 50, the instrument that starts the two-year countdown to Britain’s actual, you-really-have-to-leave-now exit from the EU.

Two senior judges, Sir Brian Leveson (remember him?) and Mr Justice Cranston, will hear the case brought by Deir Dos Santos, which claims the notification of withdrawal “can only be given with the prior authorisation of the UK parliament” and not, as the government argues, by royal prerogative.

Whichever side you’re on, don’t prepare the victory bunting just yet: this is a preliminary hearing. But the judges could allow a full hearing, perhaps in the autumn, and might ask that this case be combined with another challenge that is also underway.

Meanwhile, as May holds her first cabinet meeting this morning, she is keen to stress that her premiership won’t be all about Brexit, while making it sound all about Brexit:

It will be the responsibility of everyone sitting around the Cabinet table to make Brexit work for Britain …

We will not allow the country to be defined by Brexit; but instead build the education, skills and social mobility to allow everyone to prosper from the opportunities of leaving the EU.

But new cabinet squabbles have already begun, with the Times reporting a “my ministry’s bigger than your ministry” spat, as Brexit secretary David Davis seeks to lure foreign office staff over to his new digs, which he has labelled “the place to be”. Like Club Tropicana, all that’s missing is the E(U).

David Davis and Boris Johnson.
I know: tough pick, foreign office staff. Composite: Gareth Fuller, Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA/AFP/Getty Images

You should also know:

Diary

  • Theresa May chairs her first cabinet at 9.30am.
  • The high court hears a case arguing that only parliament can trigger article 50 to begin the UK’s exit from the EU.
  • At 3.30pm, Boris Johnson and US secretary of state John Kerry are sharing a press conference on Syria, before meeting with counterparts from Germany, France and Italy.

To-the-point claim of the day

During the Trident debate, SNP MP George Kerevan asked Theresa May:

Is she personally prepared to authorise a nuclear strike that can kill a hundred thousand innocent men, women and children?

May’s response:

Yes.

Theresa May tells parliament she would approve nuclear strikes

Read these

In the Times, Lord Falconer, a former lord chancellor, says Liz Truss, the newly appointed lord chancellor, is not legally eligible for the role:

The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 said that the prime minister could only appoint someone who appears to be qualified by experience. The lord chancellor is the only job in cabinet where there are personal conditions, laid down by statute, which have to be satisfied by the holder.

There is no one who could possibly suggest that Ms Truss met the bar set by that law. I wonder if the prime minister was even told about the statutory requirements before she appointed her.

So the prime minister broke the law in appointing Ms Truss, but more importantly showed she did not regard protecting the rule of law as a priority at all in making her cabinet.

Liz Truss, lord chancellor and justice secretary.
Liz Truss, lord chancellor and justice secretary. Photograph: Dinendra Haria/REX/Shutterstock

Rosemary Goring, in the Herald, says Labour contender Owen Smith is wrong to offer a second referendum on Brexit:

What Owen Smith and other Leave deniers clearly believe, however, is that millions of voters have taken an ill-informed and reckless decision, one that proper grown-ups should have the chance to revoke. But instead of trying to put the sand back into the egg-timer, perhaps they should consider that for many Brexiters, their choice will have been as considered and closely argued as that of EU champions and liberals.

In terms of their own lives, leaving Europe and seeing an end to freedom of travel, or trade tariffs, or whatever else they object to, is obviously preferable. Who are Mr Smith and people like me to say that their view is less valid than ours, or that in their situation we might not feel the same? Are the majority of those 17.4 million far worse educated than the 16 million Remainers? It’s unlikely.

Maïa de la Baume, writing for Politico, says Britain’s new foreign secretary emerged from his first Brussels meeting unscathed:

On Monday, [Boris] Johnson was gaffe-free and trying his best to be statesmanlike and switching between English and French. He told reporters the UK would maintain a ‘leading role’ in Europe and was not going to abandon it ‘in any way’ after leaving the EU …

There was even praise for the way in which Johnson spoke about the events in Nice. ‘Johnson spoke without looking at his notes at all,’ said another European diplomat. ‘He spoke in good French, saying the British people would stand united behind the French.’

And the latest in the Guardian’s Europe after Brexit series: No EU exit for us, say Italy’s on-the-rise Eurosceptics.

Celebrity non-endorsement of the day

I’m not sure Charlotte Church is pro-Trident:

The day in a tweet

A week is a long time etc etc:

If today were a Spice Girls song

It would be 2 become 1 (unity candidate to stand against Corbyn), baby.

And another thing

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