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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Andrew Sparrow

Theresa May appoints 'very excited' Boris Johnson as foreign secretary – as it happened

Theresa May becomes prime minister: how the day’s events unfolded

That’s about it from our politics live blog on what was yet another historic day in Westminster. Thanks for reading.

Bit of a kick for the former chancellor from Jonathan Portes, principal research fellow at the National Institute for Economic and Social Research:

Angela Merkel
Angela Merkel Photograph: Action Press/Shutterstock

The German government says the chancellor, Angela Merkel, has congratulated Theresa May on becoming prime minister.

Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert said that the German leader wished May luck in her new job in a phone conversation on Wednesday night.

He said Merkel and May “agreed that cooperation in the spirit of the proven friendly relations between both countries should be continued, including in the forthcoming negotiations on Britain’s exit from the EU”.

US State Department spokesman Mark Toner says the US is looking forward to engaging with Boris Johnson, the new foreign secretary.

He said that the bond between Britain and the US “is frankly a relationship that goes beyond personalities”, adding: “We’re always going to be able to work with the British no matter who is occupying the role of foreign sec because of our deep abiding special relationship with the United Kingdom.”

Toner also congratulated Philip Hammond, the outgoing foreign secretary, on his new role as chancellor. “It is an absolutely critical moment in certainly England’s history, but also in the US-UK relationship, so absolutely we’re committed to working productively going forward.”

Sometimes merely describing an event just doesn’t do it justice:

Amber Rudd leaves Downing Street after being appointed as home secretary on Wednesday.
Amber Rudd leaves Downing Street after being appointed as home secretary on Wednesday. Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA

Amber Rudd has become the fifth woman to hold one of the four great offices of state in the history of British politics. Theresa May appointed the former energy secretary to take on her former role of home secretary.

There has never been a female chancellor, but these are the women who have held the other three major roles:

  • Margaret Thatcher was Britain’s first female prime minister when she entered Number 10 in 1979.
  • Margaret Beckett became foreign secretary under Tony Blair’s government in 2006. The former environment secretary was the first woman to hold the position.
  • Jacqui Smith was the first female home secretary when she took office in 2007 in Gordon Brown’s cabinet reshuffle.
  • Theresa May is Britain’s second female prime minister. May started her career at the Bank of England and became an MP in 1997.
  • Amber Rudd became the third woman to hold the post of home secretary when May appointed her to the cabinet on Wednesday. She worked in the banking sector and recruitment before becoming MP for Hastings and Rye in 2010.

Updated

Boris Johnson: 'very excited'

Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson has said he is “very excited” about returning to frontline politics as foreign secretary and that he was “obviously very, very humbled, very, very proud to be offered this chance”.

I think Theresa made a wonderful speech this afternoon about her ambitions for the country and how she saw the Conservative government taking Britain forward. I completely agree with her sentiments and about opportunity, about giving people better life chances. Clearly now we have a massive opportunity in this country to make a great success of our relationship with Europe and with the world and I’m very excited to be asked to play a part in that.”

Updated

Deputy editor Paul Johnson tweets the front page of Thursday’s Guardian:

And here’s the Mirror’s view on the day’s events:

Germany-based journalist Laura Schneider tweets:

Lots of theories about tonights’s cabinet appointments along the line of this tweet from Times columnist Hugo Rifkind:

For this week’s Guardian politics podcast, Anushka Asthana is joined by Heather Stewart, Toby Helm and Rajeev Syal on a momentous week at Westminster. We hear from the MPs closest to Theresa May on what her government will look like, Stewart Wood describes what it’s like to be inside Number 10 on the last day of an administration. And as Labour embarks on a new leadership contest, we hear from the two challengers: Owen Smith and Angela Eagle.

Listen here:

Who knew news of Boris Johnson’s new job had made it across the pond already? Well, it has, and Cher has let the world know just how she feels. (Nice use of emojis too by the ageless pop star, I’m sure you will agree...)

Angela Eagle

With perhaps less than ideal timing, Angela Eagle made a speech to Labour women earlier this evening, where a quip about Boris Johnson suddenly sounded a lot more serious.

The Labour leadership candidate brought up her referendum debate performance, where she told Johnson to stop using the £350m figure. “Oh Boris, isn’t he great for just bouncing around,” she joked.

A cry went up from the audience: “He’s the foreign secretary!” Eagle laughed initially, but then looked thunderstruck. “Boris?!” she exclaimed, then temporarily lost for words.

There was uproar in the room, Labour MPs turned to each other, “are you serious?!” one shouted. Eagle finally regained her composure: “All I can say is never ever say that having a Labour government elected isn’t important.”

8 things we've learnt from Theresa May's reshuffle so far

Here are some thoughts on the reshuffle so far.

1 - May has honoured her promise to put Brexiteers in charge of Brexit. During her campaign she said this was important because peope who voted leave would want to know that Brexit really did mean Brexit, but an alternative reading would be that she is applying Colin Powell’s Pottery Barn ‘You break it, you own it’ rule. Boris Johnson, the new foreign secretary, David Davis, the new Brexit secretary and Liam Fox, the new international trade secretary, will be in charge of making Brexit work.

2 - Johnson’s appointment represents a glittering promotion for him - but perhaps a demotion for the Foreign Office. Superficially it is an odd appointment, because it won’t take long to compile quite a long list of countries and foreign leaders Johnson has offended in the past, but he likes to be liked and he may forge good relations with his counterparts. But the new arrangements also suggest the Foreign Office is being downsized. It used to be in charge of aid, but under Labour it lost that to DfID. Now it is losing Brexit (to Davis’s department) and international trade (to Fox’s department). What’s left for Johnson? Handing out the Ferrero Rocher?

On the subject of Johnson, the Foreign Office permanent secretary Simon McDonald has tweeted this. He has an odd idea of “very happy”.

3 - It’s a good reshuffle for retreads. Davis was last in government in 1997, and Fox in 2011, but May has brought them both back. Other former ministers may be hoping for a comeback tomorrow.

4 - But it does not seem to be quite as good for women as some of the overnight briefing suggested. We were told women would get top jobs, but May has only appointed one woman tonight.

5 - May has broken up the Cameron/Osborne clique. George Osborne is the only figure so far we know to have been sacked, and it is hard to think May thought he would have been a worse foreign secretary than Johnson. Perhaps she holds some grudge against him. It may take a while before we learn the full story of his departure, but it means that the two figures who ran Tory politics for the past 11 years have now gone.

6 - May clearly doesn’t rate Andrea Leadsom as a top talent. (Which isn’t suprising - few other people do.)

7 - Michael Gove can be seen as a loser - because while three other leading Brexiteers have been promoted, he hasn’t, or at least he hasn’t so far. There is a good chance May will keep him as justice secretary.

8 - Running Theresa May’s campaign has, contrary to expectations, failed to put Chris Grayling, the leader of the Commons, into a top job. Grayling has been telling interviewers all day that he did not back May because he expected promotion. But that did not stop people thinking he might get one. So far it hasn’t arrived, althought it is still possible he might get a cabinet upgrade tomorrow.

That’s all from me for tonight.

My colleague Chris Johnston is taking over now.

Updated

Spare a thought for poor Palmerston. His new guvnor is Boris Johnson ...

This is from my colleague Peter Walker.

Liam Fox made international trade secretary

Liam Fox has been made international trade secretary (a new post.) Number 10 said:

The Queen has been pleased to approve the appointment of Rt Hon Liam Fox MP as Secretary of State for International Trade.

And it looks as though that is the last appointment for the night.

I will post a snap analysis shortly.

This, from Tim Bale, a politics professor, is interesting on Boris Johnson.

David Davis made Brexit secretary

David Davis has been made Brexit secretary.

The Queen has been pleased to approve the appointment of Rt Hon David Davis MP as Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union.

Updated

Boris Johnson's appointment as foreign secretary - Verdict from the Twitter commentariat

Here is some reaction to Boris Johnson’s appointment as foreign secretary from political journalists and commentators on Twitter.

From the FT’s Lionel Barber

From the Guardian’s Gaby Hinsliff

From Newsnight’s Emily Maitlis

From the Times’s David Byers

From Sky’s Sophy Ridge

From Raymond Snoody

From the Economist’s Jeremy Cliffe

David Davis is going to be the Brexit minister, Sky’s Beth Rigby reports.

Updated

This is from the Telegraph’s Michael Wilkinson.

George Osborne was sacked, the Sun’s Tom Newton Dunn reports. He was not offered an alternative post.

New cabinet – appointments so far

Here are the cabinet appointments so far.

(I will update this list as we go along, but you may need to refresh the page to get the updates to appear.)

Theresa May - Prime minister

Philip Hammond - Chancellor

Boris Johnson - Foreign secretary

Amber Rudd - Home secretary

Michael Fallon - Defence secretary

David Davis - Brexit secretary

Liam Fox - International trade secretary

Updated

Michael Fallon remains as defence secretary

Michael Fallon remains as defence secretary, No 10 has confirmed.

Updated

Liam Fox, the former defence secretary, is arriving at No 10.

Updated

David Davis has just been seen going into No 10 (which suggests the earlier tweet saying he was already in was wrong).

Given that we already have a chancellor, a foreign secretary and a home secretary, Davis may well become the “Brexit minister”.

Updated

Amber Rudd becomes home secretary

Amber Rudd has been made home secretary.

The Queen has been pleased to approve the appointment of Rt Hon Amber Rudd MP as Secretary of State for the Home Department.

Updated

George Osborne has just tweeted about David Cameron’s departure - but not about his own.

Here is Boris Johnson arriving at the Foreign Office.

Boris Johnson arriving at the Foreign Office.
Boris Johnson arriving at the Foreign Office. Photograph: BBC News

Boris Johnson confirmed as new foreign secretary

The announcement has just arrived from No 10.

The Queen has been pleased to approve the appointment of Boris Johnson MP as Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.

Further ministerial appointments will be announced this evening.

Boris Johnson arriving at No 10.
Boris Johnson arriving at No 10. Photograph: Carl Court/Getty Images

Updated

Boris Johnson has just left Number 10 without making any comment.

(He did not look particularly cheerful.)

Boris Johnson 'to be made foreign secretary'

Boris Johnson has been made foreign secretary, the BBC reports.

Philip Hammond, the new chancellor, has arrived at the Treasury.

Jeremy Clarkson has been tweeting on the reshuffle.

Michael Fallon, the defence secretary, has arrived at Number 10.

Michael Fallon
Michael Fallon. Photograph: BBC

Updated

David Davis, who has not sat on the frontbench since he resigned as shadow home secretary in 2008 to fight a byelection protesting against Labour’s plans to extend pre-charge detention, is reportedly in No 10.

ITV’s Robert Peston thinks Davis could be “minister for Brexit”.

Updated

Here are some leaders offering Theresa May their congratulations.

From the White House

From Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minster

From Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European commission

From Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister

Amber Rudd, the energy secretary, has arrived at No 10.

Updated

Hammond becomes chancellor as Osborne leaves the government

Here is the first press release from No 10.

The Queen has been pleased to approve the appointment of Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP as Chancellor of the Exchequer.

The Rt Hon George Osborne MP has resigned from Government.

Further ministerial appointments will be announced this evening.

Philip Hammond arrives in Downing Street.
Philip Hammond arrives in Downing Street. Photograph: Hannah McKay/PA

Updated

This is from Sky’s Faisal Islam.

And this is from my colleague Patrick Wintour, the Guardian’s diplomatic editor.

Boris Johnson has arrived at No 10.

That’s unexpected. We have been told that we’re getting the big jobs tonight – chancellor, foreign secretary, home secretary and secretary of state for Brexit (the new job Theresa May is creating) – and Johnson has not been tipped for any of these.

Updated

Here are pictures of Theresa May arriving in No 10.

Theresa May, followed by her husband Philip John, walks into 10 Downing Street.
Theresa May, followed by her husband Philip John, walks into 10 Downing Street. Photograph: WPA Pool/Getty Images
Staff applaud Theresa May, and her husband Philip, walk into 10 Downing Street.
Staff applaud Theresa May, and her husband Philip, walk into 10 Downing Street. Photograph: POOL/Reuters

Updated

Watson says May's record does not match her 'warm words'

Tom Watson, Labour’s deputy leader, has put out this statement responding to Theresa May’s appointment as prime minister.

I congratulate Theresa May on becoming prime minister. To serve our country in this role is a privilege and an honour.

These are challenging times for Britain. The decision to leave the European Union has created enormous economic uncertainty and insecurity. The priority for the new prime minister must be to ensure the country is best placed to deal with the challenges ahead.

We’ve today had warm words from our new prime minister about the need to stand up for more than a ‘privileged few’. The sentiments are good ones, but just like her predecessor the rhetoric is much better than the reality. The truth is Theresa May has been at the heart of the Tory government for the last six years and is tied to its record. It’s a record of failing to stand up for working people and backing policies that are putting vital public services like the NHS at risk.

The Labour party will continue to hold this failing government to account and push for a fairer alternative – that is what the country deserves.

Updated

Philip Hammond, the foreign secretary, has just gone into No 10.

He is being tipped to emerge as chancellor.

Updated

Theresa May's speech - Verdict from the Twitter commentariat

Here is some reaction to Theresa May’s speech from the political journalists and commentators on Twitter.

Generally, it is pretty positive.

From the Times’s Tim Montgomerie

From the Guardian’s Patrick Wintour

From the Economist’s Jeremy Cliffe

From the Observer’s Nick Cohen

From the Guardian’s Polly Toynbee

From the Spectator’s James Forsyth

From the Guardian’s Paul Johnson

From the Spectator’s Fraser Nelson

From the Daily Mirror’s Kevin Maguire

From the New Statesman’s Stephen Bush

From the Guardian’s Alan Travis

From ITV’s Julie Etchingham

From the New Statesman’s George Eaton

From the Telegraph’s Kate McCann

Theresa May has already encountered her first protest as MP. Pro-Brexit campaigners were outside No 10 waiting for her.

Updated

Theresa May has already upset the press – or at least certain elements of it – according to 5 News’s Andy Bell.

Updated

Theresa May's speech - Full text

Here is the full text of Theresa May’s speech outside No 10.

I have just been to Buckingham Palace where Her Majesty the Queen has asked me to form a new government and I accepted.

In David Cameron I follow in the footsteps of a great modern prime minister.

Under David’s leadership the government stabilised the economy, reduced the budget deficit and helped more people into work than ever before.

But David’s true legacy is not about the economy but about social justice.

From the introduction of same-sex marriage to taking people on low wages out of income tax altogether, David Cameron has led a one-nation government and it is in that spirit that I also plan to lead.

Because not everybody knows this but the full title of my party is the Conservative and Unionist party and that word unionist is very important to me.

It means we believe in the union, the precious, precious bond between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – but it means something else that is just as important.

It means we believe in a union not just between the nations of the United Kingdom but between all of our citizens – every one of us – whoever we are and wherever we’re from.

That means fighting against the burning injustice that if you’re born poor you will die on average nine years earlier than others.

If you’re black you are treated more harshly by the criminal justice system than if you’re white.

If you’re a white working-class boy you’re less likely than anybody else in Britain to go to university.

If you’re at a state school you’re less likely to reach the top professions than if you’re educated privately.

If you’re a woman you will earn less than a man.

If you suffer from mental health problems, there’s not enough help to hand.

If you’re young you will find it harder than ever before to own your own home.

But the mission to make Britain a country that works for everyone means more than fighting these injustices. If you’re from an ordinary working-class family, life is much harder than many people in Westminster realise.

You have a job, but you don’t always have job security. You have your own home, but you worry about paying the mortgage.

You can just about manage, but you worry about the cost of living and getting your kids into a good school.

If you are one of those families, if you’re just managing, I want to address you directly. I know you are working around the clock, I know you’re doing your best and I know that sometimes life can be a struggle.

The government I lead will be driven, not by the interests of the privileged few but by yours. We will do everything we can to give you more control over your lives.

When we take the big calls, we will think not of the powerful but you. When we pass new laws, we will listen not to the mighty but to you.

When it comes to taxes, we will prioritise not the wealthy but you. When it comes to opportunity, we won’t entrench the advantages of the fortunate few, we will do everything we can to help anybody, whatever your background, to go as far as your talents will take you.

We are living through an important moment in our country’s history.

Following the referendum, we face a time of great national change. And I know because we’re Great Britain we will rise to the challenge.

As we leave the European Union, we will forge a bold new positive role for ourselves in the world and we will make Britain a country that works not for a privileged few but for every one of us.

That will be the mission of the government I lead and together we will build a better Britain.

Theresa May and her husband Philip John outside 10 Downing Street.
Theresa May and her husband Philip John outside 10 Downing Street. Photograph: Hannah McKay/PA

Updated

May says she will lead a one-nation government

Here is the key extract from Theresa May’s speech. She committed herself to leading a one-nation government.

Effectively, she was redefining the name of the Conservative party. Officially it is the Conservative and Unionist party. The “unionist” refers to the UK (normally thought of now primarily in terms of England/Scotland, but originally it referred to the union of Britain and Ireland). But May insisted it should also refer to the union of rich and poor. It was an interesting piece of creative interpretation, because in the past others have not read it like this. She said:

In David Cameron I follow in the footsteps of a great modern prime minister. Under David’s leadership the government stabilised the economy, reduced the budget deficit and helped more people into work than ever before. But David’s true legacy is not about the economy but about social justice. From the introduction of same-sex marriage to taking people on low wages out of income tax altogether, David Cameron has led a one-nation government and it is in that spirit that I also plan to lead.

Because not everybody knows this, but the full title of my party is the Conservative and Unionist party. And that word, unionist, is very important to me. It means we believe in the union, the precious, precious bond between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. But it means something else that is just as important. It means we believe in a union not just between the nations of the United Kingdom but between all of our citizens – every one of us – whoever we are and wherever we’re from.

Updated

After posing for photographs with her husband, Philip, on the steps of Downing Street, she heads into No 10, where the staff will be lining up to greet her.

Updated

Theresa May's speech

Theresa May says the Queen has asked her to form a government and she has accepted.

David Cameron was a great modern prime minister, she says. He stabilised the economy. But his great legacy was social justice. He led a one-nation government. And that is how she intends to lead.

The full title of her party is the Conservative and Unionist party. That word is important to her, she says. It means the union of the UK. But it also refers to the union of all our citizens, whoever they are.

That means fighting against social injustice, she says.

She is using a passage very similar to this one in her speech on Monday.

Right now, if you’re born poor, you will die on average nine years earlier than others. If you’re black, you’re treated more harshly by the criminal justice system than if you’re white. If you’re a white, working-class boy, you’re less likely than anybody else to go to university. If you’re at a state school, you’re less likely to reach the top professions than if you’re educated privately. If you’re a woman, you still earn less than a man. If you suffer from mental health problems, there’s too often not enough help to hand. If you’re young, you’ll find it harder than ever before to own your own home.

But, as I have said before, fighting these injustices is not enough. If you’re from a working-class family, life is just much harder than many people in politics realise. You have a job, but you don’t always have job security. You have your own home, but you worry about mortgage rates going up. You can just about manage, but you worry about the cost of living and the quality of the local school, because there’s no other choice for you.

She says the government she leads will not be driven by the interests of the privileged few.

She will try to give people more control, she says.

And when she has to make the big calls, she will think what is in the interests of ordinary people.

She says she wants Britain to work, not just for the privileged few, but for everyone.

Updated

Here is the statement from the Palace.

Theresa May is leaving Buckingham Palace.

Here is another picture of Theresa May, now the new prime minister, with the Queen.

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth welcomes Theresa May at the start of an audience in Buckingham Palace.
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth welcomes Theresa May at the start of an audience in Buckingham Palace. Photograph: POOL/Reuters

Britain has a new prime minister

Theresa May is formally appointed Britain’s prime minister at Buckingham Palace by the Queen.

Cameron's speech - Analysis

Most of us don’t get the chance to write our own obituaries, but in a sense that is what Cameron was doing from the podium outside No 10, in a speech (see 5.08pm) that combined a brief resume of what he considers his achievements with a nice tribute to his staff and his family and a little homily on the “spirit of service”. It was not a particularly remarkable speech, but it was noteworthy what he chose to stress: the economy (employment, lower taxes, the “national living wage” etc) and progressive, social justice measures (like increasing the aid budget, adoption reform and the national citizen service). There was not anything very party political in it (unsurprisingly) and there was only a brief reference to the issue that brought about his resignation, the EU referendum and Brexit.

Cameron fought the 2010 general election committed to creating the Big Society but over the next few years this was abandoned as a priority, partly because of austerity and partly because it turned out to be a vision with little electoral appeal. Cameron, though, never entirely gave up his belief in this vision and, although this speech did not contain what was once his catchphrase, it did end with a passage praising volunteers for “making our society bigger and stronger” and insisting that “the spirit of service is one of this country’s most remarkable qualities”. It sounded like the last gasp of the Big Society.

Updated

Updated

Buckingham Palace has announced that David Cameron has resigned.

Theresa May is now leaving the Commons and heading for Buckingham Palace.

(For the next few minutes, no one is running the country.)

Cameron's speech – full text

Here is the full text of David Cameron’s statement outside No 10.

Good afternoon. When I first stood here in Downing Street on that evening in May 2010, I said we would confront our problems as a country and lead people through difficult decisions so that together we could reach better times.

It’s not been an easy journey and of course we have not got every decision right, but I do believe that today our country is much stronger.

Above all it was about turning around the economy and with the deficit cut by two-thirds, two and a half million more people in work and 1m more businesses, there can be no doubt that our economy is immeasurably stronger.

Politicians like to talk about policies but in the end it is about people’s lives.

I think of the people doing jobs who were previously unemployed. I think of the businesses that were just ideas in someone’s head and that today are making a go of it and providing people with livelihoods.

I think of the hardworking families paying lower taxes and getting higher wages because of the first ever national living wage.

I think of the children who were languishing in the care system, and who have now been adopted by loving families.

I think of the parents now able to send their children to good and outstanding schools, including free schools that simply didn’t exist before.

I think of over 200,000 young people who have taken part in national citizen service, the fastest growing youth programme of its kind in the world, something that again wasn’t there six years ago.

I think of the couples who have been able to get married who weren’t allowed to in the past.

And I think of the people on the other side of the world who wouldn’t have had clean drinking water, the chance to go to school or even be alive were it not for our decision to keep our aid promises to the poorest people and the poorest countries in our world.

And we have used our stronger economy to invest in our health service. When I walked in there, there were 18,000 people waiting over a year for their operation.

Today it’s just 800 – too many, still too long but our NHS is a national treasure and one whose staff perform miracles as I’ve seen every day.

And we’ve strengthened our nation’s defences, with submarines, destroyers and frigates, and, soon, aircraft carriers rolling out of our shipyards to keep our country safe in a dangerous world.

These are the choices and the changes that we have made. And I want to thank everyone who has given so much to support me personally over these years. The incredible team in No 10, the civil servants, whose professionalism and impartiality is one of our country’s greatest strengths. And my political advisers, some of whom have been with me since the day I stood for my party’s leadership 11 years ago.

I want to thank my children, Nancy, Elwen and Florence, for whom Downing Street has been a lovely home over these last six years. They sometimes kick the red boxes full of work. Florence – you once climbed into one, before a foreign trip, and said take me with you. No more boxes.

And above all, I want to thank Samantha, the love of my life. You have kept me vaguely sane and, as well as being an amazing wife, mother and businesswoman, you have done something every week in that building behind me to celebrate the best spirit of voluntary service in our country.

We will shortly be heading to Buckingham Palace to see Her Majesty the Queen, where I will tender my resignation as prime minister and I will advise Her Majesty to invite Theresa May to form a new administration.

I am delighted that for the second time in British history the new prime minister will be a woman – and once again a Conservative. I believe Theresa will provide strong and stable leadership in fulfilling the Conservative manifesto on which we were elected, and I wish her well in negotiating the best possible terms for Britain’s exit from the European Union.

Let me finish by saying this. The spirit of service is one of this country’s most remarkable qualities. I have seen that service day in and day out in the incredible work of our armed forces, our intelligence agencies and our police. It is something I always knew. But as prime minister you see it so directly that it blows you away. And of course writing those heart-breaking letters to the families who have lost loved ones is a poignant reminder of the profound scale of what these men and women give for us in the defence of our freedoms and our way of life. We must never forget that.

In a different way, I have seen that same spirit of service in the amazing contributions of countless volunteers in communities up and down our country who are making our society bigger and stronger. And I am proud that every day for the past two years I have used the office of prime minister in a non-political way to recognise and thank almost 600 of them as Points of Light whose service can be an inspiration to us all.

For me, politics has always been about public service in the national interest. It is simple to say but often hard to do.

But one of the things that sustains you in this job is the sense that, yes, our politics is full of argument and debate, and it can get quite heated, but no matter how difficult the decisions are, there is a great sense of British fair play, a quiet but prevailing sense that most people wish their prime minister well and want them to stick at it and get on with the job.

So I want to take this moment to say thank you to all those who have written letters and emails offering me that support, people who I will never get to meet and never get to thank personally.

It has been the greatest honour of my life to serve our country as prime minister over these last six years, and to serve as leader of my party for almost 11 years.

And as we leave for the last time, my only wish is continued success for this great country that I love so very much.

David Cameron makes speech before leaving 10 Downing Street for the last time

Updated

Sky’s Faisal Islam says David Cameron has now resigned.

Here are some more pictures from Cameron’s speech.

David Cameron
David Cameron. Photograph: Carl Court/Getty Images
David Cameron and his family leave Downing Street.
David Cameron and his family leave Downing Street. Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA

Updated

David Cameron’s car on the way to the Queen.
David Cameron’s car on the way to the Queen. Photograph: BBC
Aerial shot of David Cameron car going from 10 Downing Street to Buckingham Palace
Aerial shot of David Cameron car going from 10 Downing Street to Buckingham Palace. Photograph: Reuters Live Feed

Updated

David Cameron makes speech outside 10 Downing Street before leaving for the last time
David Cameron and family.
David Cameron and family. Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA

Updated

Cameron says he has strengthened the NHS, and the armed forces.

He thanks those who have given him so much support, including the civil servants who have given him impartial advice, and his political staff.

He wants to thank his wife and children. Florence once climbed into one of his red boxes before a trip abroad and said take me with you.

He thanks his wife for her support and praises her charity work.

He will soon go to Buckingham Palace to resign and to recommend that the Queen appoints Theresa May as prime minister.

He says the spirit of service is remarkable. He has seen it in the armed forces, and in the work done by volunteers.

He has used his Points of Light tweets to recognise hundreds of people who have done voluntary work.

He says the British have a spirit of fair play. People have wished him well. He thanks people who have written to him.

He says being PM has been the greatest honour of his life. His only wish is continuing success for the country, he says.

That’s it. He poses for photographs on the doorstep with his family. And then they all head for the cars taking them out of Downing Street.

Updated

Cameron's speech

David Cameron is coming out now with his wife and children.

He says he promised to lead the country to better times. It is “much stronger”, he says.

Above all, it was about turning around the economy. It is “immeasurably stronger”, he says.

He says politics is about people’s lives. People have jobs, and are paying lower taxes and getting higher wages.

He thinks of children who have been adopted, and parents sending their children to good schools and excellent schools that did not exist.

He thinks of those who have done national citizen service. And gay people who can marry. And people abroad who have benefited from international aid.

Updated

David Cameron is due to speak outside No 10 shortly.

Members of the media gather outside 10 Downing Street.
Members of the media gather outside 10 Downing Street. Photograph: Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images

Updated

Here is the Labour MP Graham Jones responding to the comments from Labour NEC member Johanna Baxter about how Jeremy Corbyn’s opponents have been subject to intimidation.

Donald Tusk, the president of the European council, has – somewhat prematurely – congratulated Theresa May on becoming prime minister.

Updated

At PMQs David Cameron told a touching story about the gay marriage legislation he introduced.

I’ll never forget the day at No 10 when someone who works very close to the front door said to me, ‘I’m not that interested in politics, Mr Cameron, but because of something your lot have done, I’m able to marry the person I love this week.’ There are many amazing moments in this job, but that was one of my favourites.

According to Pink News, Cameron omitted one detail from this story.

A source close to the events told PinkNews that Mr Cameron might have airbrushed one detail from the story; the staffer’s comments actually brought the prime minister to tears as he was heading out to a meeting.

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This is from the Economist’s Jeremy Cliffe.

Jeremy Corbyn has been speaking to the Unite conference in Brighton this afternoon. He’s had three standing ovations. These are from the Morning Star’s Conrad Landin.

Nick Boles, the skills minister, has announced that he is leaving the government.

In more reshuffle speculation, the Telegraph’s Christopher Hope says George Osborne will be replaced as chancellor and will leave the government.

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At Westminster the resignations just keep coming. Jim Wallace is stepping down.

Jim who? The Lib Dem leader in the Lords, of course.

Former Welsh secretary and party grandee Peter Hain has praised Owen Smith, who is standing for the Labour leadership, saying he has deep roots within the Labour movement in south Wales.

He’s grounded in the Labour valleys, the sense of of the party and the country, which you don’t often find in modern politicians.

He’s fresh, he wasn’t a member of the last Labour government, he offers a credible evidence-based alternative to austerity. He’s radical on equality and social justice issues. He didn’t vote for the Iraq war, he wasn’t in parliament at the time.

Hain led the Labour campaign in the south Wales valleys for the remain camp ahead of the referendum. He said:

Jeremy is not popular on the doorstep, he’s a big negative especially among Labour working class voters. Every day Jeremy remains leaders is a boost for Ukip in Labour working class heartlands.

This, from the BBC’s Moscow correspondent Steve Rosenberg, reveals what the Russian papers are saying about Theresa May.

Terry Hoppery, the chair of Pontypridd’s constituency Labour party, received a 7am call from Owen Smith informing him that he would be running for the Labour leadership.

“I’m 100% behind him,” said Hoppery. “I think he’s got the charisma. He is able to come across to people, talk to people. He’s got the same ideas as Jeremy Corbyn, he’s a Corbyn admirer to be honest. But Jeremy doesn’t seem to be able to connect with people. I know he’s got tremendous backing from certain members, but I think Owen would be a far more presentable leader. He is able to put his points over well.”

Jayne Brencher, a Pontypridd Labour town councillor, said Smith would be a “unifying force”. She said: “There’s a great support for Owen within the constituency. He’s an excellent constituency MP and he would be a very able leader and a unifying force. He represents the moderate left. He has a great deal of support from Labour party voters. He’s not part of any plot. He genuinely is a man of the people and for the people.”

Brencher argued that Pontypridd, a former coal and iron town, desperately needed a Labour government that would stick up for the most vulnerable. “There are people with great needs in our community,” she said. “What we need is a Labour government. Whoever is able to deliver that is the one that we need to lead our party. In my view we need a unifier.”

The Labour leader of the town council, Mary Harvey, was not sure what stance to take. “It’s very difficult to think. Everything seems to be in such a jumble. It’s a bit of a mess. I’ve been a party member since 1981 and I don’t think any of us saw what is happening at the moment coming.”

Does she see Owen Smith as a party leader? “I can’t fault him personally. I think a lot of people will say if they’re honest that he hasn’t been around long enough.”

A disused coal mine in Pontypridd, south Wales.
A disused coal mine in Pontypridd, south Wales. Photograph: Martin Argles for the Guardian

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Here is ITV’s Robert Peston with his latest Theresa May reshuffle speculation.

Angela Eagle has pledged that her leadership campaign will “keep it comradely” in her battle to unseat Jeremy Corbyn, calling on the Labour leader to also sign her promise to stop intimidation and abuse on both sides.

The pledge includes a promise to take action against any aggressive behaviour by supporters, end pickets of MPs’ offices or homes, and unite behind whoever wins the ballot “to fight the Tories and the general election”.

Signing the pledge card in Victoria Gardens, London, Eagle said she wanted to send a message about the abuse faced across the party.

We want this to be a discussion we can all be proud of, where there is no space whatsoever for the kind of bullying and intimidation we have seen recently. I hope all of the other candidates in this leadership election and their supporters will sign up to this pledge.

Her challenger for the anti-Corbyn vote, Owen Smith, should sign the pledge too, Eagle said.

Labour MP Stephen Kinnock, who was there to sign the pledge along with other prominent supporters like Emma Reynolds, Harriet Harman, Stephen Doughty and Caroline Flint, said the pledge to support whoever won the new contest did not mean anyone was promising to serve again on a Corbyn frontbench. He said:

I think uniting means we continue to represent our constituents on behalf of the Labour party. I think it’s right [not to split]. There’s only one Labour party, I’ve been a member since 1985.

Kinnock said Eagle could beat Corbyn because of a shift in attitudes he had seen in the party’s existing membership. With Smith announcing his candidacy this morning, Kinnock said he hoped he would reconsider. He said:

I do think it would be better to have one anti-Corbyn candidate, I’ll be very frank about that. I think over the coming days that should be considered very careful.

But Angela’s had the guts and the courage in this leadership contest, she stuck her neck out on Wednesday. We need to have a woman leader and we are prepared to put our money where our mouth is and do it.

Angela Eagle with her ‘keep it comradely’ clean campaign pledge.
Angela Eagle with her ‘keep it comradely’ clean campaign pledge. Photograph: Amer Ghazzal/Rex/Shutterstock

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McDonnell says Corbyn supporters created 'climate of opinion' that helped win NEC vote

The “coup” against Jeremy Corbyn was mounted because opponents of the Labour leader cannot tolerate a socialist as the head of the party and as the leader of a socialist administration, according to John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor.

There’s been a lot of interest in what he had to say at the rally where the shadow chancellor – speaking of Corbyn’s opponents in the party – said that “as plotters they’re fucking useless”.

So here’s more of what McDonnell said before he was joined on stage by the leader himself.

We defeated the first wave of a coup against Jeremy Corbyn. We did it thanks … Because all of you created a climate of opinion which gave courage to our representatives on the NEC who voted 18 to 14 that Jeremy would be on the ballot.

They [Corbyn’s opponents] have been plotting and conniving. The only good thing about it is that as plotters they are fucking useless.

Don’t think they have stopped there. They will come back and they will try and hit us again, and we will defeat them again, won’t we?

[We start Jeremy’s campaign for leadership of the Labour party] in 48 hours and we need your support throughout that campaign, throughout August and into September to maximise his vote, to give him a clear mandate.

But finally let me say this: Why, why do you think this coup was tolerated? It is because they cannot tolerate a socialist as the Labour party leader and [leader] of a socialist administration.

Our objective is to transform our society into one that is fairer, more equal, more democratic, based upon, yes, a sustainably economically and environmentally prosperous society but where that prosperity is shared by all. That is our intention. And we would not be here.

John McDonnell at a pro-Corbyn rally last night.

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It is not quite the Highland Clearances, but the Evening Standard’s Joe Murphy and Nicholas Cecil report that four Welsh MPs have been evicted from St Stephen’s Tower in the House of Commons to make way for David Cameron, who has been given a new office there.

The Evening Standard had a peek into the office in the Palace of Westminster where he will start his new life as a backbench MP and discovered that it boasts a medieval-style stone staircase, oak panelling and painted ceilings.

Staff were sprucing up the hastily emptied suite in St Stephen’s Tower for its new occupant, cleaning a stain from the green carpet, after four Tory MPs were kicked out to make way for him.

Crates with Mr Cameron’s name on were stacked outside, while the names of three of his key staff were written on notes attached to some of the desks.

The suite, which is 20ft wide and 24ft long, has commanding views of Westminster Abbey and the ancient Jewel House – part of the original Royal Palace.

Until yesterday it was home to at least four Welsh MPs who, colleagues say, were given 24 hours’ notice to move out.

Presumably the Welsh MPs are being rehoused somewhere else on the parliamentary estate.

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Buzzfeed’s Emily Ashton has named some of the Labour MPs who joined the Tories in giving David Cameron a standing ovation.

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Lunchtime summary

  • Cameron told MPs that Theresa May, his successor, should try to keep the UK “as close to the European Union as possible”.
  • Cameron told MPs that every victim of the NHS contaminated blood scandal will for the first time receive a regular annual support payment.

I genuinely hope we will only have one candidate to campaign against Jeremy.

He said he hoped it would be Eagle.

  • Eagle has made a promise to fight a clean campaign.

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The departure of David Cameron has big implications for the Guardian’s cartoonist, Steve Bell. In this video Bell talks about drawing him.

Steve Bell on drawing David Cameron: ‘So many years, so many condoms’

Another removal van has been arriving at Downing Street today.

A removal van arrives at the back of 10 Downing Street.
A removal van arrives at the back of 10 Downing Street. Photograph: Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP/Getty Images

This one was delivering for Theresa May.

A delivery driver shows his work document that tells him to deliver 10 large boxes to: Mrs. T May, 10 Downing Street.
A delivery driver shows his work document that tells him to deliver 10 large boxes to: Mrs. T May, 10 Downing Street. Photograph: Jonathan Buckmaster/EPA

At PMQs David Cameron said that, contrary to some claims, he really did like Larry the Downing Street cat. (See 12.17pm.)

He has tweeted this as proof.

In the past Cameron has been a fairly poor user of social media but, if he is now tweeting pictures of cats, he is clearly getting the hang of it ...

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ITV’s Robert Peston thinks Philip Hammond, the foreign secretary, will be appointed chancellor by Theresa May.

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Theresa May spent her final evening before becoming prime minister having dinner with the chief rabbi, the Press Association reports. May and her husband, Philip, joined guests at the north London home of Ephraim Mirvis for the dinner, which had been arranged some time ago. Afterwards, in a statement, Mirvis described May as “a friend and champion of our community and of other faiths”. He said:

Today, Theresa May becomes prime minister at a time of great political, social and economic uncertainty. Few people are more talented or better qualified to tackle these immense challenges.

I recall the speed and the sensitivity with which she reached out to the Jewish community following the terror attacks on Jewish targets in Europe last year. As she made clear then, ‘Without its Jews, Britain would not be Britain.’

She has proved herself to be a friend and champion of our community and of other faith communities who share her values of tolerance and understanding.

Last night, on the eve of her becoming prime minister, Theresa May kept a longstanding arrangement to join Valerie and me at our home for dinner. The fact that she did this in the midst of critically important preparations before taking up office is a reflection of her strong desire to keep to her commitments and the esteem in which she holds the British Jewish community. I was delighted to have the opportunity to give her my blessings at this very auspicious time.

I wish her every success as prime minister and look forward to building upon our warm relationship over the coming years.

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis. Photograph: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

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This picture shows people working in the Commons lining up to applaud David Cameron as he walked to his car after PMQs before being driven away.

David Cameron leaving parliament
David Cameron leaving parliament Photograph: BBC News

And here is the scene in No 10 where reporters are waiting to cover Cameron’s departure later.

The view in Downing Street.
The view in Downing Street. Photograph: Euan Cherry/UPPA

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Cameron's final PMQs – verdict

David Cameron’s final appearance at PMQs was dignified and good-humoured but not charged with the same emotion that Tony Blair’s was nine years ago. Like Blair, Cameron chose to end with a little spiel expressing his faith in the House of Commons and in politics generally. But, whereas Blair’s (see 11.51am) is a lovely piece of writing that stands the test of time, Cameron’s comments (see 12.46pm) were relatively trite. Perhaps he has something a bit more high-powered prepared for the statement he is due to make outside No 10 later. Cameron’s decision to end, self-deprecatingly, with the words he used about Blair at his first PMQs was quite neat. But the line about how “nothing is really impossible if you put your mind to it” sounded somewhat crass given that he is leaving office because he found that winning the EU referendum was impossible. Cameron reportedly has no regrets about holding the referendum because he thinks the Commons must ultimately submit to the will of the public. But given that this belief has ended his career, it would be interesting to hear him elaborate on it.

Today was not a day for aggressive questioning and Jeremy Corbyn struck the right note. He made some pointed remarks about Cameron’s record, but he did so without ratcheting up the political malice and his joke about Cameron’s mum (see 12.17pm) was rather good. Cameron’s jokes were suitably measured too.

For those of you who don’t know the Black Knight sketch, here it is. Cameron compared Corbyn to the Black Knight, who never gives up despite being chopped to pieces. It is hard now to see why people find the sketch funny but, compared to many of the other things Cameron has said about Corbyn, this barb was relatively complimentary.

Black Knight sketch

UPDATE: Thanks to the readers who have pointed out that the Black Knight sequence is not a sketch, but a scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

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Cameron's peroration

Here is Cameron’s peroration.

I will watch these exchanges from the backbenches. I will miss the roar of the crowd, I will miss the barbs from the opposition, but I will be willing you on.

And when I say willing you on, I don’t just mean willing on the new prime minister at this dispatch box, or indeed just willing on the frontbench defending the manifesto that I helped put together. But I mean willing all of you on, because people come here with huge passion for the issues they care about. They come here with great love for the constituencies that they represent. And also willing on this place. Because, yes, we can be pretty tough and test and challenge our leaders – perhaps more than some other countries – but that is something we should be proud of and we should keep at it, and I hope you will all keep at it, and I will will you on as you do.

The last thing I would say is that you can achieve a lot of things in politics. You can get a lot of things done. And that in the end, the public service, the national interest, that is what it is all about. Nothing is really impossible if you put your mind to it. After all, as I once said, I was the future once.

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The Conservative Ken Clarke thanks Cameron for his leadership, but also for the wit and elegance he has brought to PMQs. He asks if Cameron will remain an active participant in the Commons. As no two people know what Brexit means, we need his advice.

Cameron recalls trying to get Clarke to join the frontbench when he was on a birdwatching holiday in Patagonia. He says Clarke’s first act as chancellor was to sack Cameron as a special adviser. He says he was pleased to bring him into government. Clarke was never easy to get hold of. Tory modernisation never got as far as getting him to have a mobile phone, he says.

He says as a backbencher he will be willing the Commons on. And politics is about achieving things. Nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it.

He gets a round of applause. Tory MPs give him a standing ovation. Opposition MPs are applauding too, but they have not got to their feet (apart from some Lib Dems).

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The SNP’s Carol Monaghan asks about broken promises and the renewal of Trident. Cameron has done more for Scottish independence than many others, she says. So will he join the SNP?

Cameron says Lord Smith himself said the vow to create a powerhouse parliament was kept. He has created a powerhouse parliament. But he has not seen the SNP use those powers.

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Robin Walker, a Conservative, says he became an MP when Cameron became PM. Since then unemployment in Worcester has halved. He thanks Cameron for his legacy.

Cameron says there are 450,000 fewer children in households where no one works. That is particularly important.

Labour’s Adrian Bailey asks Cameron to impress on May the importance of retaining access to the single market.

Cameron says he agrees with this. It is vital to have proper access to the single market, he says.

Wendy Morton, a Conservative, praises Cameron for his firm focus on jobs, skills and investment.

Cameron says he wants to improve apprenticeships so people can have a career. And when they get a job, he wants them to pay less tax.

Labour’s Graham Stringer thanks Cameron for the courteous way he responds to questions. But until he had an eye operation he could not see him well. Is Cameron concerned that people are jumping the queue for cataract operations?

Cameron says he does not know the details of what Stringer is asking about.

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Steve Brine, a Conservative, says Cameron once said politicians were a mixture of egotism and altruism. Cameron has stayed on the right side of that divide, he says.

Labour’s Jeff Smith says Cameron came into power planning to get rid of the deficit and to stop his party banging on about Europe. How has that gone?

Cameron defends his economic record, and says it was right to have an EU referendum.

Cameron says he is able to announce today compensation to victims of the contaminated blood scandal.

Angus Robertson, the SNP leader, offers Cameron his best wishes. But he says Cameron’s legacy is to take Scotland to the brink of coming out of the EU. So SNP MPs will not be applauding him. What advice has he given May about this?

Cameron says his advice to May, who is a “brilliant negotiator”, is that we should try to be as close to the EU as we can be.

Robertson says May is well known in Scotland because of the threat to deport the Brain family. And the first vote of her premiership will be on Trident, opposed by almost all Scottish MPs. How will this go down in Scotland?

Cameron says the Brain family have an extension so they can apply for a work visa. He hopes that happens.

He says there are many people in Scotland who support Trident. There are 143,000 more jobs in Scotland. Two big warships are being built in Scotland. There has been a decisive referendum. And a Scot has won Wimbledon twice under his premiership. Never mind Indy2. What about Andy2.

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Peter Lilley says Cameron has a mastery of the dispatch box that he has not seen anyone else achieve. People know Cameron is driven by a sense of duty, he says. They know he wants to make the UK more prosperous, more tolerant and more free.

Cameron thanks Lilley. He says PMQs has a purpose. It means he has to find out what is going on around the world. People watch it around the world. He recalls being in New York when someone came up to him and said “Cameron, PMQs – we love your show.”

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Corbyn says he has a question from Nina. Can an EU citizen who has lived in the UK for 30 years have their right to stay revoked.

Cameron says there is no chance of that happening to someone in those circumstances. He says this might only happen if Britons in other countries did not have their rights respected

He says he has got an email, too. He says he got an email from someone on 16 September 2015 telling him to be polite to Corbyn because Tom Watson was far more of a threat. He must find the sender to find out what happens next.

Corbyn says he has asked Cameron 179 questions. He says he wants to wish Cameron well, and wish his family well, too. It is our loved ones who make all the difference. And he wishes to pass on to Cameron’s mum his thanks for her advice about ties and songs.

There is a rumour that Cameron’s departure has been timed so he can slip into the vacancy created by Strictly Come Dancing’s Len Goodman.

Cameron says he has addressed 5,500 questions. He will leave it up to others to decide how many he has answered. And he has spent 92 hours answering statements. But he wishes to quash a rumour. He loves Larry the Downing Street cat, he says.

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Corbyn says May said in her speech on Monday that people feel the economy does not work for them. Isn’t she right?

Cameron says, if he wants to talk about the economy, the defict has been cut by two-thirds, there are 2.5 million more people in work, there are almost 1m more businesses and 2.9 million apprentices.

And if Corbyn wants to talk about efficiency, the Tories have already finished their leadership contest. Labour has not even decided the rules, he says.

Corbyn says democracy is a wonderful thing.

He says May talked about unscrupulous bosses. He can’t imagine who she was referring to. Will May clamp down on zero-hours contracts, and repeal the Trade Union Act?

Cameron says the government introduced the “national minimum wage”. And it banned exclusive zero-hours contracts.

He says he is beginning to admire Corbyn’s tenacity. He says Corbyn reminds him of the Black Knight in Monty Python. People keep kicking him, but he says keep going, saying it is only a flesh wound.

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Jeremy Corbyn starts by paying tribute to the British Wimbledon winners.

He says it is right to thank Cameron for his service. He has often disagreed with him, but he pays tribute to him for securing the release of Shaker Aamer and for his gay marriage legislation, which was passed with Labour votes.

And he asks about homelessness. Cameron says it is 10% below the peak it was under Labour.

Corbyn says he has been listening to what Theresa May has been saying. She says it is harder than ever for young people to buy their first home. Why is that?

Cameron says he wants to congratulate May on becoming prime minister. When it comes to women prime ministers, soon it will be 2-0 to the Conservatives. And not a pink bus in sight, he says.

On housing, he says the issue of affordability is key. Help to buy and shared ownership mean some people can buy a home with a deposit of just £2,000.

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Jack Lopresti, a Conservative, thanks Cameron for his hard work. And he asks about the Peshmerga, the Kurdish troops. Can the government do more to support them?

Cameron says they are doing valuable work. He will look at the suggestion to give them more medical help. Daesh is on the back foot. It has lost 45% of the territory it held in Iraq. 25,000 of its troops have been killed, he says.

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Danny Kinahan, an Ulster Unionist, thanks Cameron for his contribution to Northern Ireland. And there are other leadership roles out there, he tells Cameron: the England football team, Top Gear, the US presidency. And he asks about Brexit.

Cameron thanks Kinahan for his suggestions. Most of those jobs sound even harder than this one, he says. He says it is important to keep the benefits of the common travel area for Northern Ireland.

PMQs

David Cameron starts by congratulating Andy Murray and the other British Wimbledon winners.

Normally he says at this point he has other meetings later today. But today he says that, other than one meeting with the Queen, his diary for the rest of the day is “remarkably light”.

Updated

I normally do a snap Cameron/Corbyn verdict as soon as Corbyn has finished, but I sense that today is not really about the Cameron/Corbyn battle, and so I will post my verdict on PMQs as a whole when it is over.

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The Lib Dem MP Tom Brake is not feeling generous towards David Cameron on the day of his last PMQs.

This is from the Tory MP Jesse Norman.

Here is footage of the last moment of Tony Blair’s final PMQs.

Tony Blair’s final PMQs

And this is what Blair said.

I have never pretended to be the greatest House of Commons man but I can pay the house the greatest compliment I can by saying that from the first until the last I have never stopped fearing it. The tingling apprehension I felt at three minutes to 12 today I felt as much 10 years ago and every bit as accute. It is in that fear that respect is retained.

Some may belittle politics but we know it is where people stand tall. And although I know it has its many harsh contentions, it is still the arena which sets the heart beating fast. It may sometimes be a place of low skullduggery but it is more often a place for more noble causes. I wish everyone, friend or foe, well and that is that, the end.

Blair received a standing ovation. At first, only the Labour MPs stood up. But then David Cameron, the then opposition leader, got to his feet and, with a vigorous wave of his arm, instructed Tory MPs to stand too – which they did.

On that occasion, Blair was leaving the Commons, not just Downing Street. Cameron is staying as an MP at least until 2020, and so his departure is not quite as final as Blair’s. But it will be interesting to see whether he gets a standing ovation, too, and whether Jeremy Corbyn joins in if he does.

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Here is David Cameron’s first PMQs, on 7 December 2005.

Cameron v Blair in first PMQs: ‘He was the future once’ – 2005 archive video

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A prime minister’s last day in No 10 is always very unusual. Stewart Wood, who worked for Gordon Brown, has written an interesting blog about what it was like in Downing Street on the day Brown quit.

Here’s an excerpt.

The tenure of our prime ministers is bookended by two letters. The first is one with instructions to those in charge of our nuclear weapons, written as soon as they arrive in Downing Street; the last is one with good wishes for your successor written just as they leave. Gordon wrote three letters in those final hours – two to heroes that inspired him (Aung San Suu Kyi and Nelson Mandela) and one to David Cameron (accompanied by a bottle of something strong, as I remember). For all their rivalry, his letter to Cameron was warm and sincere, encouraging him never to forget what a privilege it is to be our nation’s leader, and full of praise for the extraordinary professionalism of the staff at Downing Street.

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Here is David Cameron leaving No 10 early to drive to the Commons for PMQs.

David Cameron leaves 10 Downing Street
David Cameron leaves 10 Downing Street. Photograph: Geoff Caddick/AFP/Getty Images

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Manchester Gorton Labour party has been suspended following allegations relating to the conduct of members, the Press Association reports.

It is understood the complaints centre around jostling within the constituency Labour party (CLP) ahead of Sir Gerald Kaufman’s seat becoming available if the 86-year-old does not stand at the next election. No meetings of the CLP or any of its branches will now take place while an inquiry is undertaken.

The Labour spokeswoman said: “Any complaints of bullying or intimidation and allegations of misconduct are always taken very seriously by the Labour party.”

The Manchester Evening News reported that a letter sent from Labour’s head office states that the allegations relate to the conduct of members “both during and outside of Labour party meetings” as well as the “conduct of members of the CLP executive committee in administering internal ballots”.

The letter also states that “it is their understanding that conversations have taken place between the CLP and Greater Manchester police” over safety fears.

Updated

This morning, Owen Smith told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that he was opposed to the Iraq war. (See 11.06am.)

Channel 4 News’s Michael Crick has tweeted a link to this article from the WalesOnline in 2006 in which Smith, then a byelection candidate, said he did not know whether he would have voted against the Iraq war.

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Owen Smith's Today interview - Summary and analysis

Owen Smith, the former shadow work and pensions secretary, announced his bid for the Labour leadership on the Today programme this morning. In theory he is challenging Jeremy Corbyn for the job but much of what he said seemed to be directed at Angela Eagle, the former shadow business secretary who launched her own bid on Sunday. In broad political terms Eagle and Smith are very similar, but Smith is triangulating - trying to differentiate himself from two opponents by placing himself politically in a space in the middle - and in the interview he successfully managed to make himself sound noticeably to the left of Eagle on at least four points (Corbyn, Iraq, leadership election rules, and loyalty.)

Here are the key points.

  • Smith said that, although in January he was saying Jeremy Corbyn should stay as leader until 2020, he had changed his mind because of the “dramatic collapse of faith and confidence” in Corbyn over the last fortnight.
  • He said that Corbyn was not suited to be leader - while also praising him quite strongly.

Whilst Jeremy is a good man with great Labour values who has done a lot for this party and I think changed the debate in this country about our economy - he’s been right about lots of things - but he is not a leader who can lead us into an election and win for Labour.

In many respects Smith and Eagle are making similar pitches for the leadership; they are both committed to carrying on with Corbyn’s anti-austerity politics, but they are both arguing that Corbyn lacks the leadership qualities needed to ensure Labour wins. But Smith seemed to be going out of his way this morning to praise Corbyn’s other qualities. Eagle has been noticeably less positive about him.

  • Smith criticised McDonnell for what he said last night about Labour plotters being “fucking useless”. Smith said:

That’s not language he should be using as shadow chancellor, it’s certainly not language I would be using.

He also described McDonnell as “part of the problem” facing Labour.

The truth is John McDonnell is part of the problem we have in the Labour party.

I want this to be resolved without a damaging, divisive leadership contest. I wanted Jeremy Corbyn to find a way to heal the Labour party, to bring us back and unite us.

I’ve put that to him on three occasions, but to John McDonnell I said I feared he had decided that people on his part of the party wanted to split the Labour party and he said to me, he shrugged his shoulders and said ‘if that’s what it takes’. I am not prepared to stand by and let the Labour party, the party I love, that has been the greatest force for good in this country, split – it cannot happen.

  • Smith said he was opposed to the Iraq war. This is the most important point on which he has been able to differentiate himself between from Eagle. Eagle was an MP at the time and in 2003 she obeyed the Labour whip and voted for the war, although she says she now regrets that vote. Smith was a Labour special adviser at the time and says he was opposed to the war, although he did not give up his job as an aide to Paul Murphy, the then Northern Ireland secretary.
  • He said that he was pleased that Labour’s national executive committee decided to ensure that Corbyn would be on the ballot in the leadership contest. This marks another contrast with Eagle, who said that she thought Labour rules meant Corbyn should not be allowed on the ballot without being nominated by 51 MPs and MEPs (although Eagle accepted this was a decision for the NEC.)
  • Smith said he would support Corbyn if he won the leadership.

I will stand in this election and I will do the decent thing and fight Jeremy Corbyn on the issues, just as he will do with me, and at the end of that I will stand behind whoever the leader is. But I hope and I expect it will be me.

This is another act of Eagle differentiation. In interviews at the weekend Eagle sidestepped questions about whether she would serve in Corbyn’s shadow cabinet if Corbyn won, saying she expected to win herself.

  • Smith said that he had not been involved in plotting against Corbyn.

I refused to have any part in discussions, which have been destructive, from a small group of people on the right who, just like those on the left, it seems to me, are now prepared to let Labour split.

He also stressed that he had put some proposals to Corbyn about how he could resolve the leadership crisis, but that Corbyn had not accepted them. It was not clear if he was implying that Eagle was part of the “destructive” anti-Corbyn clique or not.

  • He accepted that Eagle was better known than he was, but he said she had been in parliament for 25 years, and that he had only been an MP for six years.
  • He said he was not planning to vote in favour of the proposed amendment saying Tony Blair was in contempt of parliament because he misled MPs over Iraq. At the weekend Eagle indicated that she was also opposed to the amendment.
  • He said he was in favour of retaining the nuclear deterrent. But he used to be a member of CND, he said. Eagle is also in favour of maintaining the nuclear deterrent.

Juncker says he will not negotiate Brexit with UK 'in a hostile mood'

Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European commission, is on a visit to China where my colleague Tom Phillips has been speaking to him. Here are the key points.

  • Juncker said that he wanted the EU’s relationship with the UK to remain good. He said:

I have to say that personally and institutionally, I want our relations with Britain to be as close as possible. I will not negotiate with Britain in a hostile mood ... We are partners in the European Union for 40 years now … There is no place for hatred, no place for revenge, no place for the contrary of friendship.

This is rather different from the tone he adopted in May, when he said the UK would be treated as as “deserter” if it left.

  • He said he would not be giving advice to Theresa May.

I am not giving public advice to the incoming British prime minister. I don’t want to lecture her, I don’t want to talk about her before having talked with her. I’m envisaging this relationship as having the potential to become a good relationship.

  • He reaffirmed his determination not to start Brexit talks until the UK invokes article 50, starting the two-year withdrawal process. He said:

We have made it clear that before notification there will be no negotiation… [so] we are waiting for the notification and then we will engage in negotiations with our British friends.

Jean-Claude Juncker on a visit to Beijing.
Jean-Claude Juncker on a visit to Beijing. Photograph: POOL/Reuters

After Ruth Davidson’s hugely successful stand-up session at yesterday’s Westminster lobby lunch,today it is Nicola Sturgeon’s turn to visit London. (There are no briefings yet about edgy Boris Johnson gags, but it’s early in the day).

Sturgeon has already had a breakfast meeting with Bank of England governor Mark Carney, where the pair were expected to discuss the economic outlook post-Brexit, and will later meet the chief minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo. Sturgeon said: “ I am looking forward to exploring how we can work together to ensure that our interests are protected in the uncertain period that lies ahead.”

Cameron leaves No 10 for the Commons for PMQs

David Cameron has left Number 10 to go to the Commons for PMQs.

Normally he does not leave Downing Street until about 11.45pm, but today’s PMQs will be a valedictory one and he probably does not need to spend as much time brushing up on all the details of A&E waiting times, or whatever, as usual.

After PMQs he will visit the Palace to see the Queen to resign. And at some point he will make a speech outside Number 10 to mark his departure.

David Cameron leaving No 10 for PMQs.
David Cameron leaving No 10 for PMQs. Photograph: BBC News

McDonnell says he was 'disappointed' by NEC's decision to stop new members voting in leadership contest

McDonnell has just told BBC News that he was “disappointed” by the NEC’s decision to insist that Labour members can only vote in the leadership contest as members if they joined at least six months ago. (See 9.10am.)

But he said he would accept the decision. He did not call for it to be reconsidered.

John McDonnell.
John McDonnell. Photograph: BBC News

McDonnell says his comment about Labour plotters was 'a joke'

This is what John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, said about Jeremy Corbyn’s opponents at a rally last night.

They have been plotting and conniving. The only good thing about it, as plotters they’re fucking useless.

Speaking on the Today programme, McDonnell said he was being light-hearted.

It was a stand-up comedy event. It was a joke. It was taken in a light-hearted way.

He also insisted that he was not referring to Angela Eagle, who announced on Monday she was challenging Corbyn for the leadership, and that he was just referring to a small group in the party who had never reconciled themselves to Corbyn’s leadership.

McDonnell also insisted Corbyn was not to blame for the intimidation that some MPs opposed to him were facing. Corbyn was “the most caring, compassionate person I’ve met in politics”, he said. Corbyn himself had been a victim of intimidation, he said. “The levels of abuse he’s suffered are a disgrace,” McDonnell said.

McDonnell accepted that the climate in which politics was being conducted at the moment was unpleasant. But he insisted that this was a general problem, not just facing Labour, as illustrated by the abuse immigrants have faced since the Brexit vote. “There’s a political climate, unfortunately, that can be quite hostile,” he said. Those responsible for the abuse were people outside politics, he said.

Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair’s communications chief and a fierce opponent of Corbyn and McDonnell, was not impressed by McDonnell’s interview. Here’s how he responded on Twitter.

Updated

Hodge says PLP should select just one 'unity candidate' to take on Corbyn

In her Today interview, Dame Margaret Hodge also said the parliamentary Labour party should select just one “unity candidate” to take on Jeremy Corbyn.

At the moment there are two candidate vying for this job, Angela Eagle and Owen Smith. Under Hodge’s plan, the PLP would hold a “primary” to select their anti-Corbyn candidate.

Updated

On the Today programme James Schneider, the Momentum spokesman, also insisted that Momentum was not responsible for the intimidation of MPs opposed to Jeremy Corbyn. He said the organisation had not received a single complaint about one of its members being involved in intimidation.

But the Labour MP Dame Margaret Hodge, who tabled the no confidence motion in Jeremy Corbyn, said Corbyn’s supporters were responsible for the bullying of MPs. She saiod said “people around Jeremy” were indulging in “dirty politics”.

This is not the new politics, it’s the old politics I fought in the 1980s, when people like John McDonnell and Ken Livingstone were in leadership roles,” she told Today. “It was a politics of intolerance, bullying and intimidation.

These are people working in Jeremy’s name, they are people around Jeremy. Far too many individuals, Members of Parliament and others are being intimidated, bullied, harassed, physically assaulted.

Momentum criticises Labour leadership election rules

Last night Labour’s national executive committee decided that Jeremy Corbyn would be allowed to take part in the Labour leadership contest without having to get nominated by 51 MPs or MEPs, like his opponents. But it also decided that party members will not be able to vote in the contest as party members unless they joined more than six months ago. (Instead they will have to pay £25 to become a registered supporter if they want to have a vote, but there will only be a two-day window during which they can apply.)

On the Today programme this morning James Schneider, a spokesman for Momentum, the organisation for Corbyn supporters, said these rules were “not fair”. He explained:

We’ve seen since the Brexit vote probably the largest surge in political party membership in this country’s history, with almost 130,000 people joining the Labour party and a great number of those joined on the basis that they would be able to vote in a future leadership election.

Updated

Owen Smith launches Labour leadership bid as McDonnell defends claim that anti-Corbyn plotters 'fucking useless'

I’m Andrew Sparrow and I’m blogging today.

Owen Smith, the former shadow work and pensions secretary, has been on the Today programme to announce his bid for the Labour leadership. He told the programme:

I will stand in this election and I will do the decent thing and fight Jeremy Corbyn on the issues, just as he will do with me, and at the end of that I will stand behind whoever the leader is. But I hope and I expect it will be me.

I will have a full summary and analysis shortly.

And John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, has been on the Today programme defending his claim last night that those plotting against Jeremy Corbyn were “fucking useless”.

John McDonnell uses colourful language about Labour party ‘plotters’

On the programme it was put to him that his language was inconsistent with Corbyn’s call for people in Labour to treat each other with respect (although a more generous interpretation would be that he was just being accurate). McDonnell insisted that he was just joking.

I will post more on his interview too soon.

Updated

Morning Briefing

Good morning and welcome to our daily politics live blog which Andrew Sparrow will be picking up here shortly

The big picture

So we’re waiting for Theresa May, the incoming prime minister, to formally announce her first cabinet after moving into Downing Street with her husband, Philip. May will take up residence at No 10 after an audience at Buckingham Palace where the Queen will confirm her new role.

Relief has meanwhile gives way to celebration for Jeremy Corbyn’s inner circle as the Labour leader looks forward to being on the ballot in an upcoming contest against Angela Eagle - and possibly Owen Smith.

Labour MPs are determined that there should be only one candidate that takes on Corbyn to maximise the chance of winning, with a number preferring Smith. It is understood that he will wade into the debate this morning.

Does anyone have a Brexit plan yet?

Not quite, although surely it’s getting closer. If anyone is likely to have one, it’ll be the man or woman who Theresa (“Brexit means Brexit”) May will name as the government’s new ‘Brexit minister’. May’s spokesperson has already said that work was already underway to set up a new department dedicated to negotiating Britain’s exit from the EU.

“Civil servants have already been charged with finding a building to house the Brexit department – an indication of Theresa’s commitment to get on with delivering the verdict of the EU referendum. Brexit means Brexit and we’re going to make a success of it,” she has said.

You should also know:


Diary

  • 10am: Economists for Brexit press conference
  • 10am: Michael Gove gives evidence to Commons Justice Committee on radicalisation in prisons
  • Noon: David Cameron’s final PMQs. House of Commons
  • Theresa May’s first speech as Prime Minister, 10 Downing Street
  • 6.15pm: Angela Eagle speech on Europe

Read these

• Campaigners behind the two main Brexit groups, Vote Leave and Leave.EU, plan to re-establish their efforts into anti-EU pressure groups that could act as a constraint on Theresa May, the FT reports.

• What might David Cameron do next? The Spectator’s Isabel Hardman writes that the outgoing prime minister sees John Major as a better model for life after Downing Street than Tony Blair

She adds: “He might, though, choose to pursue his interest in life chances and social mobility that he never got a chance to fulfil as Prime Minister because of his early exit. So tomorrow won’t be the end for Cameron – just the start of another type of public service.”

• Cameron is to hand out honours to some of his closest aides at Number 10 in a move which risks starting another “cronies” row, the Telegraph claims.

• If you thought the new prime minister was the continuity candidate in the Tory party, you may have to think again, writes Martin Kettle in the Guardian.

Baffling claim of the day

“As plotters, they were fucking useless” - shadow chancellor John McDonnell to supporters at at a Corbyn rally on Tuesday night. Perhaps not entirely incorrect - after all, Jeremy Corbyn remains in place as leader of the Labour party - although it’s the kind of language which his statement which his opponents are likely to use to their advantage.

Celebrity endorsement of the day

Simon Pegg for Jeremy Corbyn: “I respect Jeremy Corbyn because I like that fact he’s brought some opposition back into party politics”

The Sun also reports that the actor urged Theresa May to find inspiration in Star Trek by asking herself: “What would Kirk do?”

The day in a tweet

If today were ... a pair of shoes

Then a strong candidate would be a pair of the new prime minister’s trademark leopardskin numbers:

The shoes of Britain’s Theresa May as she speaks outside parliament.
The shoes of Britain’s Theresa May as she speaks outside parliament. Photograph: Max Nash/AP

And another thing

Would you like to wake up to this briefing in your inbox? Sign uphere.

Andrew Sparrow will be taking over shortly. If you want to follow him or contact him on Twitter, he’s on on @AndrewSparrow.

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