Rishi Sunak has pledged to scrap hundreds of remaining EU laws and regulations if he wins the Tory crown race on a new pitch to win over Brexiteers. The former chancellor said that, if elected, he would appoint a Brexit minister to uphold the remaining 2,400 EU laws still on the statute book. Meanwhile, leadership star Penny Mordaunt has hit back at new claims she supported gender self-determination when she was the government’s equalities minister. In the first public debate, Kemi Badenoch and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss argued that Ms Mordaunt had backed a push for self-identification for those wishing to transition. Ms Mordaunt denied the claims and said while she had ordered a review of the Gender Recognition Act, she was not in favor of self-determination and “would not have separated it from healthcare”. But the Sunday Times reported it had seen leaked government documents which appeared to suggest it was in favor of removing at least one element of the medical process required for transgender people to legally transition. It comes as the remaining five candidates still in the competition prepare for the second televised debate to be shown on ITV on Sunday night.
Basic points
Show latest update 1658052117
Mordaunt admits the tax cut plans will lead to an increase in government borrowing
Penny Mordaunt has admitted that her plans to cut taxes will lead to an increase in government borrowing. Ms Mordaunt said her proposals to halve VAT on petrol and increase tax thresholds represented a “modest” set of changes to help people struggling with the rising cost of living. “We need to show that there is some immediate targeted support for people. We would have to adjust our tax provisions, but that is absolutely necessary, I think,” he told the BBC’s Sunday Morning programme. “There is plenty of room for that to happen. This is, compared to other candidates, a very modest amount of targeted support that I have announced to help people.” He acknowledged that this would mean borrowing to fund day-to-day expenses, saying: “We will have to do this for some time. The important thing is that the debt (to GDP) ratio will fall over time.” Joe Middleton July 17, 2022 11:01 am 1658050926
Tom Tugendhat says Rwanda plan is ‘a totem of necessity’
Tom Tugendhat says Rwanda plan is ‘a totem of necessity’ Joe Middleton July 17, 2022 10:42 am 1658050309
Mordaunt’s Quickfire Questions Answers
Penny Mordant told the BBC that she would not allow another referendum on independence and that it was a “settled issue” and that she advocated for the country to reach net zero by 2050. He said the privatization of Channel 4 was not a priority. When asked if she would give a Cabinet post to Boris Johnson, she replied that she was “not talking about jobs”, but when pushed said “I don’t think he will be around to serve”. And like Mr Tugendhat, he will not withdraw the UK from the ECHR. Joe Middleton July 17, 2022 10:31 am 1658049896
Mordaunt claims the UK “didn’t have a veto” to stop Turkey joining the EU
Penny Mordaunt said the UK had “no veto power” to prevent Turkey from joining the EU. But when the BBC’s Sophie Raworth pointed out that this was not true, Ms Mordaunt said “we couldn’t use that provision in the treaty”. Joe Middleton July 17, 2022 10:24 am 1658049221
Dominic Raab reveals who he was really winking at during PMQs
Dominic Raab reveals who he was really winking at during PMQs Joe Middleton July 17, 2022 10:13 am 1658048613
Tugendhat’s Quickfire Question Answers
Tom Tugendhat took a series of Quickfire questions on his BBC appearance on Sunday morning. He confirmed that he would intervene if China invaded Taiwan. The Tory leadership candidate said he would not leave the EDA. The Tonbridge and Malling MP supports HS2 and its extension to Scotland. He does not want to privatize Channel 4 and would not allow another independence referendum. Joe Middleton July 17, 2022 10:03 am 1658048174
Tugendhat calls Rwanda politics ‘totem of necessity’
Tom Tugendhat has reiterated his support for the Rwandan government’s controversial migration policy, calling it “a totem that is necessary”. He told the BBC: “As it is [the policy] it will work shows extremely clearly that Britain simply does not tolerate human trafficking and the misery of slavery and that is why we are stopping it. Joe Middleton 17 July 2022 09:56 1658047640
Boris Johnson’s account of Partygate was ‘more fantasy than reality’
Tom Tugendhat told the BBC that Boris Johnson’s account of Partygate was “more fiction than reality”. It is the second time in as many days that Mr Tugendhat has questioned the prime minister’s integrity. In Friday night’s leadership debate he said Johnson was not an honest man, falling out with other Tory leadership rivals who were unable to give a straight verdict on the prime minister’s veracity. Joe Middleton 17 July 2022 09:47 1658047300
Tugendhat denies he is still in the leadership race for a Cabinet seat
Leadership candidate Tom Tugendhat has denied he is staying in the leadership race because he wants to get himself a Cabinet seat. He told the BBC the country needed a leader with “vision” and had already drawn up a 10-year development plan as well as policies on housing, development and policing. Joe Middleton 17 July 2022 09:41 1658046633
IDS criticizes Sunak’s approach to economics
Sir Iain Duncan Smith, a supporter of Liz Truss, took aim at former Tory chancellor Rishi Sunak’s approach to the economy. Sir Iain said Mrs Truss’ track record in government was “strong”, adding on taxation: “There is a genuine debate to be had here in the party about this because I think the government and the Treasury, through a strange orthodoxy, they are committed to the wrong course that could seriously harm us in the next two years.” He also told Sophy Ridge on Sky News on Sunday: “We’ve got an inflationary spiral going on, now we’ve got the war in Ukraine, that’s made it even worse in terms of energy, but here in the UK we’ve got some of the blame for it that we have inflation rising on top of all that. “And that’s because of the failure of the Bank of England and the Treasury on, I think, monetary policy. First of all, a year ago the Bank continued to print huge amounts of money, which has inflated the economy as well as kept interest rates low. “It was the Treasury that signed off on this money printing, the Chancellor no less, so before they say ‘oh it’s independent’, the Treasury has the right to say no to the money printing part and they didn’t, that fueled inflation.” On the current economic approach, Sir Iain added: “If you have the tax rates at the rates that will follow – corporation tax – you will put our economy into recession, that is now being predicted. If we go into recession while we have high inflation, that’s stagnation.” Joe Middleton 17 July 2022 09:30
