Victoria Derbyshire

Andrea Leadsom says she is "confident" about getting through the first round of the Tory leadership contest.

Speaking to the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire, she said it was a "nasty game" getting people to declare publically and she "didn't want to get into that".

Asked why Boris Johnson seemed so far ahead in the race, Mrs Leadsom hinted it was due to how well known the former foreign secretary is.

"Boris is a good colleague," she said. "I am not supporting him for leader as I am putting myself forward... but I respect all the candidates in this race."

The UK government is pushing forward with a new plan to tackle climate change by cutting greenhouse gas emissions to almost zero by 2050.

The government will lay a statutory instrument in the Commons on Wednesday - a tactic that allows the legislation to be fast-tracked through both houses of Parliament if other parties agree - which on this issue they generally do.

The BBC's Parliamentary correspondent, Mark D'Arcy says there doesn't actually have to be any action in the chamber and it may just be that a line appears on Thursday’s order paper to say the SI has been put down.

But a debate will be expected at some point.

The former director of legislative affairs at No 10, Nikki da Costa, said using SIs was a useful move for minority governments...

Theresa May will face the Commons at 12:00 BST for Prime Minister's Questions.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will ask six questions, but this is also a chance for backbench MPs to throw questions to the prime minister.

Here are the MPs on the list...

Image source, Getty Images

Labour has tabled a cross-party motion to force a vote on Wednesday which would give MPs control of the Parliamentary timetable on 25 June.

If it passes, MPs will be able to introduce legislation on that day to avoid a no-deal scenario at the end of October.

The motion has cross-party backing, including from one Tory MP - Sir Oliver Letwin - who is supporting Michael Gove in the leadership contest.

It has been signed by Jeremy Corbyn, SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford, Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable, Change UK leader Anna Soubry, Plaid Cymru Westminster leader Liz Saville-Roberts and former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas.

Read more about their plans here.

Norman Smith
Assistant political editor

A lot of the questions levelled at Boris Johnson today will undoubtedly focus on some of the doubts and unease expressed by other candidates over his character, and whether he is a suitable person to be prime minister.

These concerns were raised most sharply last night by his rival Rory Stewart, who questioned not only whether he would have a grasp of the detail for complex huge organisations, like the NHS and the education system, but also questioned whether he was the man who should be issuing instructions to nuclear submarines – in other words, whether he could be trusted with his finger on the nuclear button.

Mr Johnson will also face the credibility question, because his central pitch is that he would take the UK out of the EU, come what May, on 31 October.

However, we know the EU has said no to renegotiation, we know there is comparatively little time until 31 October, and Brussels had pretty much closed down and disbanded its negotiating team.

And it is frankly not clear that Mr Johnson has a blueprint to break the Brexit deadlock.

So, he will face some tough questioning on how he will be able to broker some fresh deal in the remaining few months.

Image source, PA/AFP

Good morning and welcome to the BBC Politics live page for another packed day in the race for the Tory leadership.

Frontrunner Boris Johnson will be launching his campaign later, after facing criticism for not giving any broadcast interviews so far.

He will be followed by Home Secretary Sajid Javid – the last of the 10 contenders to make his pitch.

Meanwhile, Labour will be trying to force a vote in Parliament allowing them to start the process of blocking a no-deal Brexit.

And Theresa May will continue to carry out her duty as PM in Prime Minister’s Questions from 12:00 BST.

Lots to look forward to, and we will bring you all the latest here.

Here is what we can look forward to on Wednesday

• Boris Johnson is due to launch his campaign and is expected to take questions from the media
• Home Secretary Sajid Javid will also kick off his bid
• The 1922 Committee will hold its second set of hustings, as candidates try to win enough support to make it through the first ballot on Thursday
• Theresa May will face Jeremy Cobryn for Prime Minister's Questions - her first since she stood down as Conservative Party leader.
• Also in the Commons, MPs will vote on a cross-party motion giving them control over the Parliamentary timetable as part of a bid to try to stop a no-deal Brexit

It has been another busy day in Westminster, but here are the key points:

• Andrea Leadsom, Mark Harper and Rory Stewart formally launched their campaigns
• Speaking from a tent in south London, Rory Stewart said the UK faced a choice between a "fairy story" and a route of "prudence and realism"
• Also launching his campaign, Mark Harper said Brexit could not be solved by "threatening no deal" and promising to leave on 31 October was "not credible"
• However, Andrea Leadsom said leaving the EU by the end of October was a "hard red line" for her
• She also said "never, say never" when asked about the possibility of another Scottish independence referendum

• Sajid Javid told the Evening Standard trying to slow down the number of stop and searches was "crazy" if it is proven that it "works". He also said he was open to rewriting some of the UK's immigration rules if elected

• Labour launched a cross-party move to give MPs the chance to block a no-deal Brexit - a move supported by Rory Stewart
• The Conservative Party was accused of "fundamental failures" in tackling Islamophobia by the Muslim Council of Britain
• First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the chances of the House of Commons reaching a compromise over Brexit had “all but disappeared”
• In Brussels, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, insisted "a new prime minister will not change the problem" around the withdrawal deal

... and here are some other of the day's highlights:

• ITV's Lorraine Kelly said she disagreed with Esther McVey on LGBT rights

• Mark Harper struggled to choose between fighting a horse-sized duck or 1,000 duck -sized horses on BBC Politics Live
• Andrea Leadsom admitted to enjoying Love Island - particularly the episode where the contestants look after dolls
• We learnt that Sajid Javid owns a cavapoo

Andrea Leadsom says the UK must leave in October, but Mark Harper and Rory Stewart demand "realism".

Image source, Getty Images

We come to the final questions. Rory Stewart is asked why he won't support another referendum or revoke Brexit altogether, and how he would defeat Jeremy Corbyn.

"I'm about moderation and compromise," Mr Stewart replies.

"We have to live together, we know that we are split as a country.

"But we also know that if we listen to each other we find out we have more respect for each other than we could ever imagine."

He says Jeremy Corbyn is offering "the same fairy stories" being offered by extreme Brexiteers.

"The only wisdom is the wisdom of humility," he says.

And that concludes his launch.

Another attempt to re-write the rules, another heave in the procedural tug of war, another day of drama in Parliament.

But will it work?

It's not a straight vote for or against a no-deal Brexit - that would not change the fact that it is written in law and agreed with the EU that Brexit will happen on 31 October.

Think of this plan not as a knockout blow in a boxing match, but the first of a complicated sequence of moves in a chess game.

Labour want to pull off something similar to what happened in March, when MPs took control of parliamentary time to force the government to request an extension to the Brexit process from the EU.

Step one is seizing control of business in the House of Commons, and that's clearly the plan this time around.

Beyond that, the details aren't clear.

Compelling the new Prime Minister to ask the EU to delay brexit further is the most likely option. But the answer of course, might be "no".

Image source, AFP

Amid surreal questions and unusual campaign pitches, the 10 Tory candidates are reminded of the had reality when it comes to Brexit. Read more from Laura.

Mr Stewart is asked if he feels "a sense of shame" when he sees migration centres in Greece and migrants drowning in the Mediterranean.

"Yes I feel deep shame," replies the candidate.

He continues: "But at the same time I am not sure there is some easy solution.

"We have to work out what we can do in Afghanistan or Libya to make sure people can live humane and prosperous lives there."

Rory Stewart is now asked how his idea of a citizens' assembly would work "a grand jury of citizens", as he describes it.

He begins by insisting "there is only one way of solving this problem which is through Parliament - that is an uncomfortable truth.

"The solution does not lie in Europe.

"However, if Parliament cannot be unblocked we need to take the politics out of it.

"That is when we should consider a grand jury of citizens to sit for six weeks to go through this in detail and make recommendations."

On defence spending, Rory Stewart says he can't support doubling it from 2% to 4% of GDP because the sort of threats we're facing in the 21st Century don't require more and more spending on huge things like aircraft carriers.

"I'm not going to solve the problems of the Ministry of Defence by promising billions more that we don't have," he says.

Mr Stewart is now asked if he would support the cross-party motion to stop a no-deal Brexit.

He says he hasn't had the chance to read the motion, but adds: "My instinct is I would be wholly supportive."

"I am entirely against no deal and I am entirely against prorogation."

Prorogation effectively means Parliament would be shut down early in order to force through no deal.

If all opposition MPs back the no-deal motion, it would only take three Tories to do so as well to see it pass.