Penny Mordaunt has been accused by her department boss of shirking her ministerial responsibilities while preparing preparations for her No 10 bid. Ms Mordaunt is a minister under International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan, who today claimed there were times she was “unavailable” – leaving others in the department to “pick up the pieces”. Asked if Ms Mordaunt was not “strong on detail”, Ms Trevelyan said: “We all do our jobs in different ways. “Understandably, perhaps, now it’s clear, Penny has spent some of her time in recent months preparing her leadership campaign, which I have the utmost respect for, that’s how this system works.” Ms Trevelyan – who is supporting Tom Tugendhat in the leadership race – told LBC Radio: “There have been a number of times she has not been available, which would have been helpful, and other ministers have picked up the pieces.” It comes as MPs are set to hold a vote of confidence in the government on Monday, amid opposition calls for Boris Johnson to step down immediately and hand over to a caretaker prime minister.
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Tugendhat has an “extraordinary ability” to bring people together
A key supporter of Tom Tugendhat said he hopes he will get another chance to run for the leadership if he fails in that bid. It comes as the No 10 candidates will be whittled down to just four as MPs voted in the third round of the competition. Mr Tugendhat had fewer votes than his remaining rivals in Thursday’s final vote and appears to be at greatest risk this time around. International trade secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said: “He has this extraordinary ability to bring people together who would otherwise not work together. “I think it’s a real gift and I wanted the rest of the world to see a lot more of it. “If it’s not his time, I hope there will be a future time when he can lead the party.” Emily Atkinson July 18, 2022 10:15 am 1658134535
Conservative leadership race: Who is Penny Mordaunt?
Conservative leadership race: Who is Penny Mordaunt? Emily Atkinson 18 July 2022 09:55 1658133374
Mordaunt was accused of avoiding a ministerial role in the preparation of the No 10 bid
Penny Mordaunt has been accused by her department boss of shirking her ministerial responsibilities while preparing preparations for her No 10 bid. Ms Mordaunt is a minister under International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan, who today claimed there were times she was “unavailable” – leaving others in the department to “pick up the pieces”. Asked if Ms Mordaunt was not “strong on detail”, Ms Trevelyan said: “We all do our jobs in different ways. “Understandably, perhaps, now it’s clear, Penny has spent some of her time in recent months preparing her leadership campaign, which I have the utmost respect for, that’s how this system works.” Ms Trevelyan – who is supporting Tom Tugendhat in the leadership race – told LBC Radio: “There have been a number of times she has not been available, which would have been helpful, and other ministers have picked up the pieces.” Emily Atkinson 18 July 2022 09:36 1658132435
Climate emergency is last priority for Tories in leadership contest, poll says
Taking action on the climate emergency is the bottom priority for Conservative members in the party leadership race, according to a poll. Just 4 per cent of those polled by YouGov said reaching the UK’s net zero emissions target by 2050 was one of their top three priorities for the next prime minister. The survey, commissioned by The Times, found that winning a general election, cutting taxes, increasing defense spending and strengthening the UK’s global standing were all most important to members. Of the 10 policy areas listed, net zero was placed at the bottom. Our politics correspondent Jon Stone has more:
A climate emergency is the last priority for Tory MPs, according to a poll
Just 4 per cent of Tories put the issue in their top three priorities for the next party leader Emily Atkinson 18 July 2022 09:20 1658131311
Cartoon shows leadership hopefuls with their heads in the sand about the climate crisis
The Times published a scathing cartoon depicting the five remaining Tory leadership candidates burying their heads in the sand against a glowing landscape – featuring a smoldering skull-shaped sun. After heavy criticism of the 10 candidates’ positions on the climate crisis and their commitment to achieve the net zero goal of 2050. Leading the charge was cabinet minister and Cop26 chairman Alok Sharma, who yesterday warned he may resign if the new prime minister does not take a strong stand on climate change. Here’s what the candidates had to say in the climate segment of last night’s ITV leadership debate: Penny Mordaunt said she was committed to the goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050 but “shouldn’t be fighting people”. Tom Tugendhat said he was committed to “making sure we deliver the nuclear reactors to keep us green”, supporting carbon capture and storage projects and changing “the way we do wind farms” so they can be delivered faster. Kemi Badenoch said the 2050 target was for a period when none of them would be in power “to be accountable for it”. “If there are things in the plan that will bankrupt this country, I will change them, if there are things in the plan that will make life difficult for ordinary people, I will change them,” he said. “I believe in climate change, but we have to do it in a sustainable way.” Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said she supported the target but “we have to deliver it in a way that doesn’t hurt people and businesses”, underlining her plan for a moratorium on the green levy on energy bills. Rishi Sunak supported the goal, saying it was about the legacy left to children and grandchildren. “But we have to bring people with us and if we go too hard and too fast then we’re going to lose people and that’s no way to get there,” he said. Emily Atkinson 18 July 2022 09:01 1658128178
Conservatives to meet in ‘spirit of harmony and love’ after leadership campaign
The Tories will come back together in a “spirit of harmony and love” after the leadership campaign, the chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has said. Kit Malthousetold Sky News: “I think it’s good to have a robust debate within any kind of political organisation.” He added: “All political parties are permanent coalitions and the Conservative Party is the same. A dynamic exchange of ideas should be expected at a difficult time for the country when you are talking about such important issues and the leadership of a G7 nation. “If it was just a polite agreement and consensus across the board, there wouldn’t be much point in having a competition.” Mr Malthouse has not publicly declared his support for any of the candidates to succeed Boris Johnson. Emily Atkinson 18 July 2022 08:09 1658127644
Watch: ‘It’s Not True!’ The Tories are attacking Mordowd because they claim she was the only one who could defeat Labour
‘It’s not true!’ The Tories are attacking Mordowd because they claim she was the only one who could defeat Labour Emily Atkinson 18 July 2022 08:00 1658126304
Voices: The 10 economic commitments we need from the next Tory leader
Anyone who watches the debates of would-be Tory leaders on British television must wonder why the world that politicians occupy seems so different to that of the rest of us. They talk about the pressures on families or the need to cut taxes and boost government spending, but they seem somehow disconnected from the practical, day-to-day problems people face. Other things also matter, but the hard truth is that whatever their ambitions, they can only be successful if the economy is successful. So what should people be looking for from the next Tory leader to help lift the UK’s economic performance? Here are Hamish McRae’s top 10 questions.
The 10 economic commitments we need from the next Tory leader | Hamish McRae
The hard truth is that whatever their ambitions, they can only be successful if the economy is successful, writes Hamish McRae
Emily Atkinson 18 July 2022 07:38 1658125433
‘Lack of evidence’ for Rwanda’s plans as a deterrent to crossing the Channel
There is a “lack of evidence” for the government’s policy in Rwanda to prevent migrants crossing the Channel in small boats, the chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee has said. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme, Diana Johnson also called for a “more multifaceted approach” to the migration crisis. Mr Johnson’s comments come after the publication of the cross-party commission on Monday, which is investigating the Government’s approach to Channel crossings over the past 18 months. Labor MP Ms Johnson said: “What we are saying in our report is that there is not a single silver bullet that can be used to solve this. And so we’re saying specifically on the Rwandan policy, there’s a lack of evidence base that this is going to be the deterrent that the government thinks it will be.” He added: “We’ve said to the government that we’d really like to see the evidence base of how they’ve come to the conclusion that this is the policy they think will work.” Ms Johnson also criticized the cost of the policy and said: “The other problem we have with this policy is the lack of costing. We don’t know exactly how much this will cost. “You will know that the permanent secretary at the Home Office, the senior civil servant, had to take a directive from the home secretary to implement this policy because he was not satisfied that it would be value for money. “So there are real questions about putting all your eggs in one basket, if you will, on this Rwandan policy. This needs to be much more about a multi-pronged approach to tackling this problem with…
