The Daily Politics

Boris Johnson has managed to offend a number of nations and politicians, and some eyebrows were raised when Theresa May appointed him as foreign secretary

Conservative MP Nicholas Soames said he had had "differences" with the former mayor of London over the referendum, but he would make an "outstanding foreign secretary"

Labour MP Lisa Nandy was concerned whether "he was capable of telling the truth" over past claims about the EU: 

They were debating with Spectator journalist Harry Mount, who has written a book called the Wit and Wisdom of Boris Johnson.   

House of Commons
Parliament

MPs will debate a motion in the name of the prime minister which reads:

"That this House supports the government's assessment in the 2015 National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review that the UK's independent minimum credible nuclear deterrent, based on a continuous at sea deterrence posture, will remain essential to the UK's security today as it has for over 60 years, and for as long as the global security situation demands, to deter the most extreme threats to the UK's national security and way of life and that of the UK's allies; supports the decision to take the necessary steps required to maintain the current posture by replacing the current Vanguard Class submarines with four Successor submarines; recognises the importance of this programme to the UK's defence industrial base and in supporting thousands of highly skilled engineering jobs; notes that the government will continue to provide annual reports to Parliament on the programme; recognises that the UK remains committed to reducing its overall nuclear weapon stockpile by the mid-2020s; and supports the government's commitment to continue work towards a safer and more stable world, pressing for key steps towards multilateral disarmament."

Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire has said it is difficult to see how Northern Ireland and Scotland can remain in the EU.

He was speaking at his first official engagement at Belfast City Hall where he signed a book of condolence for the victims of the lorry attack in Nice.

A majority of people in Northern Ireland and Scotland voted to remain in the EU. 

But Mr Brokenshire said all nations of the UK now needed to unite and respect the outcome of the UK-wide referendum vote. 

The secretary of state also said both the UK and Irish governments were opposed to a return to border check points between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

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The Daily Politics

Former shadow energy secretary Lisa Nandy, who resigned from the Labour frontbench team in June, is backing Owen Smith for the Labour leadership.

She said he was “best placed to win the leadership election”, and was the candidate most capable of uniting both the party and the nation.

Speaking of Jeremy Corbyn, she said: "I can't see any way that I would serve on his frontbench again."

Conservative MP Nicholas Soames said the country needed an "effective opposition holding the government to account on the floor of the House of Commons".  

Prime Minister Theresa May has said the Welsh Government will be involved in discussions about the UK's exit from the European Union.

Speaking after a visit to the National Assembly for Wales in Cardiff and holding what was described as "constructive" talks with the First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones, she said. 

Angela Eagle, Owen Smith and Jeremy Corbyn have been addressing Labour MPs at a lunchtime leadership hustings in Parliament. The event is private but here is a flavour of what some journalists are tweeting about the event. 

The Daily Politics

Conservative MP Nicholas Soames said he was "cheeky" on twitter but he blocks those who are rude online.He was debating the extremes of social media, and abuse on twitter which he claimed was like "road rage", with Labour MP Lisa Nandy, and Conservative peer Matt Ridley, who had presented a personal film for the Daily Politics on the subject.  

BBC News Channel

A prominent former Conservative minister has said he will oppose the like-for-like renewal of Trident in the Commons vote later, saying its expense will leave the armed forces “short of everything else”.

Crispin Blunt – who chairs the influential foreign affairs select committee – said renewing the submarine-powered nuclear weapons system by the end of the next decade would cost 6% of the whole defence budget.

MPs, he claimed, wanted to look “strong on defence” and had “taken it on trust” that ministers had “done the work on this”.  

It must be said that Mr Blunt is in a minority on this, with the overwhelming number of Conservative MPs backing a new generation of nuclear weapons.

However, he is not a lone voice in the Tory party. Former defence secretary Lord King is among those to have expressed scepticism about the security case for spending an estimated £40bn on building four new submarines. 

The World at One
BBC Radio 4

Jeremy Corbyn has a responsibility to back Labour's current policy of renewing the UK's nuclear deterrent, says the boss of the GMB union. Tim Roache, whose union represents many defence sector workers, argues it would not be democratic to ignore the party policy, despite Mr Corbyn's long time opposition to Trident. He added that he would be balloting all GMB members on whether they wanted to support Mr Corbyn in the upcoming Labour leadership election.   

Image source, Getty Images

It might sound like the idea for a new reality TV show, but Downing Street has announced that Boris Johnson is to share the foreign secretary's official country residence with Cabinet colleagues David Davis and Liam Fox.

Asked why Mrs May had decided the foreign secretary should share his country retreat with two Brexit colleagues, the PM's official spokeswoman said: "It reflects the fact that all those secretaries of state will, as part of their work, be meeting and engaging with and hosting foreign visitors and leaders and it will provide an opportunity to do that."

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The World at One
BBC Radio 4

Image source, PA

Deputy Labour leader Tom Watson has just given an extended interview to BBC Radio 4's World at One. Here are some of the main points:

• He admitted Labour are "not in a great position" on Trident and the current absence of an agreed policy "does not show clarity of thinking" and "does not reassure people we are strong enough on the security of the nation...the first duty of government"
• He said many Unite workers in the defence industry are likely to be "furious" that the union is thinking of giving more money to Jeremy Corbyn given that his opposition to Trident directly threatens their jobs
• He expected most Labour MPs to back Trident later and if there was a general election next month, the party would support its renewal in its manifesto
• He cannot guarantee that Labour will be able to form a "fully functioning front bench" if Jeremy Corbyn is re-elected leader but insists he will remain in the shadow cabinet to try and make it work should it happen, trying to find "creative solutions" 
• He says he tried to arrange a "negotiated exit" for the Labour leader which would retain "a platform for Corbynism but not necessarily Jeremy Corbyn himself" but he said that Unite leader Len McCluskey, as well as Mr Corbyn, "closed it down"
• He said a split in the party was unlikely if Mr Corbyn is re-elected. Referring to the breakaway that led to the creation of the SDP, he said recent history shows how "unrewarding" such a split "would be for working people", although he says the Parliamentary Labour Party would be very unhappy if Mr Corbyn wins again given that he has clearly lost authority in the party.

The World at One
BBC Radio 4

Deputy Labour leader Tom Watson has warned officials in the Unite trade union they could face consequences for backing Jeremy Corbyn as he opposes the renewal of Trident. Mr Watson predicted defence workers would be "furious" the Unite union was set to give Mr Corbyn £250,000 of their subscriptions when the failure to renew the nuclear defence programme would put their jobs at risk. The MP denied sabotaging negotiations aimed at healing divisions in Labour. He told presenter Mark Mardell he had tried to achieve a "negotiated exit for Jeremy" in a way "that would have provided a sort of platform for Corbynism but not necessarily Jeremy Corbyn himself".  

Jo Coburn
Daily Politics presenter

Image source, Getty Images

Downing Street has said Boris Johnson will be sharing the Foreign Secretary's official country residence, Chevening in Kent, with cabinet colleagues David Davis and Liam Fox.

Mr Davis is the new Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, while Mr Fox heads up a new International Trade department.

The 17th-century manor house has been used by foreign secretaries since the 1980s as a country retreat and a venue to host international visitors, but under the previous government William Hague shared it with deputy prime minister Nick Clegg.

Meanwhile, the Press Association reports that Prime Minister Theresa May will continue with the recent tradition, established by Tony Blair and continued by Gordon Brown and David Cameron, of living in the flat above 11 Downing Street while Chancellor Philip Hammond moves into the Number 10 flat.

The Independent

The Independent, external reports that "Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron has indicated that the calamitous environment of British politics presents an 'historic opportunity' to build a new political party or alliance on the centre-left, involving both the Labour Party and his own MPs".

Mr Farron says the aftermath of the EU referendum means a "realignment" of UK politics is very likely - and the Lib Dems could be "the gathering point for those progressives".

"Mr Farron, who has committed his party to fighting the next general election on a platform of derailing Brexit, said he’d had 'off camera' conversations with other progressive politicians during the EU referendum campaign. Asked whether he was open to creating a new political party in Britain, Mr Farron said: 'I think we write nothing off.'"

In the same interview, external he also hits out at new PM Theresa May, saying: "If she was on the Remain side, she made Jeremy Corbyn look like he pulled a shift by comparison."

Norman Smith
Assistant political editor

The Daily Politics

Labour MP Lisa Nandy and Conservative MP Sir Nicholas Soames discuss the Labour leadership contest on the Daily Politics.

"The job of all of us who are trying to save the Labour Party at the moment is trying to get a candidate who can unite the party," Ms Nandy says.

And if Mr Corbyn wins again, would the party split? "I could sit here and wildly speculate about the end of the Labour Party but we cannot allow that to happen," the former shadow minister says.

Sir Nicholas says it would not be a good thing to have no opposition to the government. "I am very worried about the next few months as I do think there will be a split in the Labour Party," he says.

Westminster needs a "proper opposition, led by a good sound leader", he argues.