Former Prime Minister Sir John Major has hit out at Tory leadership candidates suggesting they could suspend - or prorogue - Parliament in order to get through a no-deal Brexit.

Both Dominic Raab and Esther McVey have not ruled out the prospect.

But Sir John said to even suggest it was "dangerous territory" and that he could not imagine previous prime ministers "putting Parliament aside" to get through a "difficult policy".

He told the Chatham House London conference: "It is fundamentally unconstitutional, and to hear that argument come from people who in the Brexit debate talked of the sovereignty of Parliament being at stake, it is not only fundamentally distasteful, it is hypocrisy on a gold-plated standard."

Sir John said he did not think the House of Commons "will allow it to stand".

He adds: "To be absolutely frank, I don't think anyone who proposes [it] or even lets it flit through their mind for a second has any understanding of what Parliament is about, what sovereignty is about, what leadership is about or what the United Kingdom is about.

"And the sooner the House of Commons stamp on this idea, absolutely comprehensively and forever, the better."

Conservative MPs have begun arriving to vote in the first round of the ballot to elect their new party leader.

A small number of members are waiting to be allowed in to Committee room 14 to cast their vote, including Esther McVey - the only candidate here so far.

Some of the MPs in the queue are also casting proxy votes for colleagues.

It’s thought that the officers of the 1922 have already cast their ballots.

Leadership contender Andrea Leadsom has also arrived.

Former Prime Minister Sir John Major says the future of the UK will be defined by its next leader.

Speaking at the Chatham House London conference, he says "a lot will depend on what happens post-Brexit".

He adds: "But the question is are we going to have an internationally respected prime minister looking outward to the world, not inward to their naval?"

Sir John said the UK used to walk out with the EU and US "by our side", but that will no longer happen, and he believes the position of the country will be "correspondently diminisished".

He adds: "The influence of Britain will depend on a large extent on how we are perceived around the world.

"That is narrowed down to a few people, namely the leader."

The slogans, the pitches and the memorable moments as the contest gets under way.

In 2017, the now-home secretary and Tory leadership candidate Sajid Javid criticised US President Donald Trump after he shared videos from far-right group Britain First on Twitter.

Here is Mr Javid's tweet:

Image source, Getty Images

Joint acting chairs of the Tory backbench 1922 committee, Dame Cheryl Gillan and Charles Walker, have arrived at Committee Room 14 in the Houses of Parliament.

Our reporter in the corridor says it looks like they are overseeing the start of the process.

Just a few minutes to go until voting begins...

BBC Radio 5 Live

Image source, AFP/Getty

Leadership hopeful Rory Stewart is calling on MPs to look at his support outside the Commons.

The international development secretary told BBC Radio 5 Live: "I've had nearly 57 million impressions on social media.

"Clearly in the public polling I'm now running either neck-and-neck with Boris or beating him.

"And amongst the Conservative party members, I'm now second, external."

He adds: "So the question is, will the MPs make the decision in the end that somebody who is the person most suited to win a general election is the person they want going through to the next round?"

Britain's outgoing high commissioner in Singapore is warning the UK is seen as divided because of the "political shambles" of Brexit.

Scott Wightman says the Asian city-state's leaders are "baffled by the UK's chaotic politics", which is inflicting lasting damage to Britain's reputation.

He made the assessment in a confidential Foreign Office telegram, seen by Politico, external.

"The nation they admired for stability, common sense, tolerance and realism grounded in fact, they see beset by division, obsessed with ideology, careless of the truth, its leaders apparently determined to keep on digging," he writes.

"I fear many around the world share their view."

A Foreign Office spokesman said the department is at the "forefront" of the Government's effort "to deliver a successful" Brexit.

House of Commons
Parliament

Two urgent questions have been granted in the Commons:

• A question from Conservative MP Henry Bellingham to the Foreign Office on the situation in Sudan
• A question from Labour MP Marsha de Cordova to the Department for Work and Pensions on a Supreme Court ruling in the case of Samuels vs Birmingham City Council on local housing allowance

A statement will also be made by Foreign Minister Mark Field on Hong Kong.

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Sajid Javid says he wants to leave the EU with a deal, but would choose no deal over no Brexit.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that there needed to be changes to the controversial Irish backstop - designed to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland - of either a time limit "or some proper exit clause".

And he also said the UK government should offer to pay for any "alternative arrangements" for the border.

Mr Javid accepts a no deal "would be challenging" and doesn't think "anyone should pretend no deal is absolutely perfect".

But he adds: "We will eventually come to some sort of arrangement."

His former Tory colleague Heidi Allen - who resigned from the party and now sits as an independent - tweeted her "shock" at his comments...

US President Donald Trump came to the UK for a state visit at the start of the month and was welcomed with a state banquet at Buckingham Palace.

But while many cabinet members were invited to attend, Home Secretary Sajid Javid was not.

Mr Javid - who is running to be the next leader of the Conservative Party - has previously criticised Mr Trump after he shared tweets from far-right group Britain First in 2017.

The home secretary was asked about his lack of invitation on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, as the BBC's assistant political editor explains...

Laura Kuenssberg
BBC political editor

What we can say, in terms of the public declarations, is that Boris Johnson is way ahead with well over 80 backers.

Then, at the bottom, there are three or four candidates who have been struggling to get to the mark they need to stay in the race - 16 votes from other MPs.

There is Rory Stewart, who has been pitching himself at the left of the Tory party and has completely ruled out leaving the EU without a deal; Mark Harper, the former chief whip; and then two Brexiteers, Esther McVey and Andrea Leadsom, on the other side of the party.

All four of those are in the danger zone and I think its likely that at least two of those will go out.

But it is really hard to read: it is unpredictable and it's a secret ballot.

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Sir Oliver Letwin says Parliament may have run out of options to stop the next prime minister from forcing through a no-deal Brexit.

The comment from the former Tory minister comes after Labour failed to get a motion passed in the Commons on Wednesday, which would have allowed MPs to seize power for a day and push for their own legislation.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Sir Oliver says he can not think of another chance for MPs to intervene before the Brexit deadline of 31 October.

"Under the Article 50 process, on 31 October the UK leaves the EU regardless of whether we do or don't have a deal in place unless somebody does something to alter that," he says.

"If the government doesn't bring something before Parliament, Parliament won't have a chance to take a view on that as things currently stand because we have run out of all the possibilities any of us can, at the moment anyway, think of for Parliament to be able to insist on having a view.

"I have really struggled very hard to think of every available opportunity and I can't currently think of any more."

Good morning and welcome to the BBC Politics live page.

We will be following all the twists and turns of the ongoing Tory leadership race as the candidates face the first vote in the contest.

Conservative MPs will get to have their say on who they want to be leader - and the UK's next prime minister - in a ballot at lunchtime.

The contender with the lowest number of votes will then be eliminated.

And any candidates who don't get the support of at least 5% of the party will also see their race come to an end.

In the Commons, we have transport questions, a business statement and a debate on social housing.

Thanks for joining us for our live coverage of another busy political day, here's a brief recap of what happened:

• Boris Johnson launched his leadership bid, claiming the threat of a no-deal Brexit was a "vital" tool when it comes to renegotiating the withdrawal deal
• He was pressed by journalists about his previous description of burka-wearing Muslim women as "letterboxes", and appeared to dodge a question about a previous confession he had taken cocaine while at university
• Later in the Commons, MPs rejected a Labour-led effort to take control of Parliament's timetable, blocking the latest attempt to stop a no-deal Brexit
• At his launch, Sajid Javid focused on his own journey into politics to position himself as a leader from a "new generation"
• He said the party should not vote for the "same old insiders", and called Mr Johnson "yesterday's news"

The first knock-out ballot takes place in the Commons on Thursday, when leadership contenders will need to get at least 16 colleagues to vote for them to stay in the race.

It's sure to be another interesting day, so do join us then.