Boris Johnson appears to have downgraded his promise of support for an independent inquiry into Islamophobia in the Conservative Party.
The frontrunner for the Tory crown said he wanted a probe into all types of discrimination, despite having previously backed calls for an investigation specifically into anti-Muslim prejudice.
His rival, foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt, also faced criticism after claiming the two sides in the Northern Ireland conflict must be treated “the same”.
At a Tory leadership hustings, Mr Johnson said it would be “absolutely folly” to rule out suspending Parliament to force through a no-deal Brexit againast the rule of MPs. He said the controversial measure should remain as “an essential tool in our negotiation”.
Meanwhile, Mr Hunt conceded the winner of the contest could spend the shortest time as prime minister in history, and said he would resign if he failed to deliver Brexit.
Mr Johnson told party members in Bournemouth that he wanted to be the prime minister of a “representative democracy, a great representative democracy in which we believe in our elected representatives to take the right decision”.
“I would rather than confiding in this archaic device to get this thing done at my own behest, I would rather confide in the maturity of common sense of parliamentarians, all of whom are now staring down the barrel of public distrust,” he said.
Mr Hunt told the hustings that he would introduce a “no-deal Bill” in the first Queen’s Speech in the new parliamentary session to ensure the country is “fully” prepared for such an outcome.
And, asked by moderator Hannah Vaughan Jones if he was “concerned by threats it could be the shortest tenure in history”, he replied: “Well, if we get this wrong, it will be.
“And we have got the biggest constitutional crisis in living memory and that is because MPs like me made a promise to the people that we would deliver the outcome of the referendum whatever it was and we failed.”
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If we are to turbocharge our economy and take advantage of Brexit, we need to back the young entrepreneurs who take risks and create jobs. I started my own business I still use the lessons that experience taught me - focus, drive and the art of negotiation - every single day. I want more young people to have the confidence to take the decision to start their own business, so we create wealth and start thriving as a country again.
Meanwhile the former foreign secretary and London mayor has announced plans for an Australian-style points-based immigration system if he becomes prime minister.
We must be much more open to high-skilled immigration such as scientists, but we must also assure the public that, as we leave the EU, we have control over the number of unskilled immigrants coming into the country. We must be tougher on those who abuse our hospitality. Other countries such as Australia have great systems and we should learn from them.
"Whenever we have had meetings that was the issue - please no no-deal Brexit. Whatever they do is up to the UK government, we just don't want to have a negative impact on the foreign companies operating in the UK, including the Japanese."
Yes, that will be the policy of the government.
I want obviously to have a broad range of talent in my government, the government that I will lead, but clearly people must be reconciled to the very, very, very small possibility, and I stress it will be a very, very small possibility, that we would have to leave on those terms. I don’t think it will happen but they would have to be reconciled to it.
The ITV political editor tweeted:
I have upset many of you by asking about this. But it was not a 'gotcha' as you seem to think. I told Jeremy-Hunt well in advance I had heard of this terrible family event in his life and asked if he would be happy to talk about it. He said yes. My view was that it would aid understanding of him if he talked about it. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I asked the questions clumsily. But I would never have entered such difficult private space without the permission of the interviewee. Sorry though to have upset so many of you.
- That the UK can rely on GATT 24 to deliver tariff free trade in the event of no deal
- That the UK can cherry pick the Withdrawal Agreement
- That there are existing technological solutions to the Northern Ireland border
- That Parliament would support a no deal
- That we can have a standstill transition without a withdrawal agreement
You will know as well as I do that these claims are not based in reality. As Secretary of State and a supporter of Boris Johnson’s campaign, you have an opportunity – and I believe a duty – to set the record straight and present an honest assessment of the difficult choices facing the next Prime Minister. I’m writing to ask that you do this at this morning’s Brexit questions in the House of Commons. If these claims are not corrected, then I believe the next administration will repeat the mistakes of its predecessor, with false promises, empty rhetoric and unrealistic red lines.
Energy and Clean Growth Minister Chris Skidmore signed the order paper which makes the law come into force on Thursday, after it passed the Commons and Lords this week.
The new target amends the previous goal to cut climate pollution by 80 per cent by 2050.
Professor Sam Fankhauser, director of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at LSE, said the announcement was "tremendous news", describing it as an act of "true international leadership".
It is significant that the new legislation was passed unopposed in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, indicating the extent of political consensus on the need for urgent action to tackle climate change. This new target will provide a clear signal to investors about the direction of government policy and should help to unlock billions of pounds of investment in the transition to a zero-carbon economy. However, the UK’s political leaders now need to focus on putting in place the policies to realise the target. At present, the UK is not on target to meet its targets for emissions reductions by the late 2020s and early 2030s. Much stronger policies are needed to accelerate the phase out of gas central heating and fossil fuel powered vehicles, for instance.
Veteran Labour MP Dame Margaret Hodge described the decision to lift his suspension as "appalling" and "outrageous".
She called it a "cynical move done on the day that we all got our forms to say 'did we want to become Labour MPs again', and having him suspended meant that he could not become a Labour MP".
Ms Abbott was responding to a Twitter user who said he had so far backed Labour's position but was concerned by the momentum of the Greens and Liberal Democrats - both parties have backed a second referendum.
She said: "Like you I have supported Labour's Brexit strategy so far. But like you I am beginning to worry..."
Diane Abbott says she is “beginning to worry” about Labour’s Brexit strategy, after the party failed to agree a shift to fully supporting a fresh referendum, writes deputy political editor Rob Merrick.
It is the first time the shadow home secretary – Jeremy Corbyn’s longest-standing political ally – has questioned the cautious approach to the key issue, widely criticised as a fudge.
Many Labour MPs have openly criticised the reluctance to campaign for a Final Say public vote and to guarantee support for Remain if it takes place.
Guy Verhofstadt has launched a broadside against Boris Johnson, accusing him of engaging in a “combination of false promises, pseudo-patriotism, and foreigner bashing”.
The European Parliament’s Brexit chief said the frontrunner to be Britain’s next prime minister was “a man who continues to dissemble, exaggerate, and disinform the public about Brexit”.
“To those of us watching from the outside, the debate between the candidates confirms that they have learned nothing whatsoever from the past two years of negotiations with the EU,” Mr Verhofstadt wrote in a piece for the Project Syndicate website.
One plank of Boris Johnson’s Brexit plan is to threaten to withhold the £39bn exit fee, negotiated by Theresa May, to put pressure on the EU to give him a better deal, explains political commentator John Rentoul.
He told Laura Kuenssberg, the BBC political editor, on Monday: “I think there should be creative ambiguity about when and how that gets paid over.”
This seems unlikely to work, as it would mean unpicking the first phase of the Brexit negotiations, and is certainly unlikely to be resolved by 31 October, by which time Johnson promises the UK will leave, “come what may”.
But it does seem like a lot of money. Donald Trump, for whom the figure is converted to $50bn, said: “If I were them I wouldn’t pay $50bn. That is me. I would not pay, that is a tremendous number.”
Opinion: Williamson's reprieve is a disgraceful step back in Labour's half-baked ‘fight’ against antisemitism
For a party which still claims to have zero tolerance for anti-Jewish racism this decision should be absurd. Sadly, though, it is hardly a surprisePlease allow a moment for the live blog to load
