He says that Rishi Sunak has what it takes to become the Prime Minister. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps is also at the event. He has withdrawn his own bid to succeed Boris Johnson. Updated at 11.21 BST Important events: Show only key events Please enable JavaScript to use this feature Q: The party has just expelled Boris Johnson on the basis of honesty and behaviour. You also have a fine with the police. And there are questions about your family avoiding millions of pounds in tax. And in the party you are seen as a corrosive figure. You’re not a clean slate, are you? Sunak says he has support from all wings of the party. That’s why he believes he can unite the country. Q: But Labor will be able to use issues like your green card and your wife’s non-resident status against you. Sunak says these issues are all out there. He addressed them, as did his wife. People expect high standards in public office. This will provide. Q: Why did you decide not to work with Boris Johnson? Sunak says he explained this in his resignation letter. It was a difficult and sad decision. He had worked closely with Johnson for two and a half years. All politicians have flaws, he says. His job is to talk about what he can offer the country. He is proud to have been part of the government that did all these things, he says. Sunak is now taking questions. Q: Your colleagues are trying to break your record as chancellor. Do you have the stomach for the race ahead? Sunak says he is surrounded by friends and colleagues. He has respect for his colleagues. When this is over, the party must regroup. They are all part of the Conservative family, he says.
“It’s a matter of when, not if” – Sunak promises to reduce the tax burden
On the economy, Sunak continues: We need to have a grown-up conversation about the central policy question that all the candidates must answer in this election. Do you have a credible plan to protect our economy and grow it? My message to the party and the country is simple. I have a plan to steer our economy through these headwinds. We need a return to traditional conservative economic values. And that means honesty and responsibility, not fairy tales. It is not credible to promise more spending and lower taxes. Sunak says he had to make the most difficult choices as chancellor. Continues: Once we catch inflation, I will reduce the tax burden. It’s a matter of when not if. He ends by saying that a better future is not given, it is earned. That’s why he stands. Updated at 11.20 BST Sunak says he will not engage in negative campaigning. He says his values are clear – “hard work, patriotism, justice, love of family, pragmatism, but also an unwavering belief that we can build a better future.” She says it is unacceptable that women and girls do not enjoy the same freedom as men. He will prioritize funding for the armed services, he says. Updated at 11.16 BST
Sunak pays tribute to Johnson, saying he is ‘great’ and ‘has a good heart’
Sunak says he wants to talk about Boris Johnson. They need to explain why he is leaving office. Johnson is one of the most admirable people I have ever met and, despite what some commentators may say, he has a good heart. Sunak says he is flawed. “So are the rest of us.” He says he quit because it “wasn’t working anymore.” But he continues: But let me be clear. I will not engage in a rewriting of history that seeks to demonize Boris, exaggerate his mistakes or deny his efforts. Sunak paid tribute to Johnson’s achievements, “breaking the Brexit deadlock, winning a stunning election victory, launching a world-class vaccination program and standing up for a free Ukraine when other leaders were still wringing their hands”. Continues: Some may advise that I should avoid saying all this in case it alienates people. But that wouldn’t be honest. If telling you what I think – positive and negative – costs me leadership, so be it. Rishi Sunak begins by saying that we need “a grown-up conversation about where we are, how we got here, and what we plan to do about it.” This is a conversation for the party, but also with the public, he says. And it starts with being honest with each other. Sunak says the leadership contest should not be a closed-door debate. It should be an opportunity for the party and the country to come together, he says. Updated at 11.12 BST Raab says SNP threat to break up UK is real. So there is no time to learn on the job. The party must come together to win, says Raab. We are a team and we will stand or fall together. We need a leader who can win. The reality is that the polling shows that only Rishi can beat Labour. Raab says other candidates are talking about tax cuts. But “while others are talking, Rishi this month got the biggest tax cut in a decade.” Raab refers to the rise in the national insurance cap. (Sunak has also offered historic tax increases, which the National Insurance cut only partly offset, but this is not mentioned.)
Raab and Shapps are backing Sunak to be the next Tory leader
Dominic Raab, the Justice Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister, opens the event. He says that Rishi Sunak has what it takes to become the Prime Minister. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps is also at the event. He has withdrawn his own bid to succeed Boris Johnson. Updated at 11.21 BST
Rishi Sunak launched leadership campaign
Rishi Sunak campaign launch is about to begin. There is a live stream here. Lots of journalists are there, but not my colleague John Crace, the Guardian cartoonist. He was banned. So… I applied to be accredited at Rishi’s launch and was told the venue was full. Someone who applied after me has been allowed to go. You might think Rishi doesn’t care about free speech — John Crace (@JohnJCrace) July 12, 2022 Updated at 11.13 BST
