Image source, Getty Images

Diverting the focus briefly now from Boris Johnson to Labour, where the party's leader and deputy leader remain under investigation over alleged coronavirus rule breaches.

Durham Constabulary is looking into whether Covid rules were broken at an event on 30 April 2021 that Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner attended.

Starmer, who was pictured through a window holding a bottle, and Rayner have said they will resign if they are fined.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast earlier, Rayner said that it was a "live investigation" but that she hasn't had any information from police as yet.

She reiterated her and Starmer's pledge to resign if she receives a fine, saying "it's a red line for us, integrity matters".

The deputy Labour leader added that she was confident both she and Starmer would be cleared but said "there will be a plan" if they end up receiving a fine.

Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner has said the party will bring a vote of no confidence forward before the House of Commons before summer recess unless the Conservative party forces Boris Johnson out immediately.

She says it is "totally unacceptable" that Johnson will remain in office until a new party leader is chosen by autumn, adding that he has been "proven as a liar" who was "engulfed in sleaze".

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, she said: "Our whips will look at the order paper, speak to the clerks and we'll put a motion of no confidence forward."

Rayner also suggested that Johnson was staying on because he wants "a party at Chequers for his wedding".

When asked who should take over as caretaker PM, she said that was for the Tories to decide but that it should be "somebody that's not a lying cheat who has let down his party and let down the public".

Image source, EPA

Education Secretary James Cleverly says the new cabinet will not make big changes that would "tie the hands" of the PM's successor.

But he tells the BBC the "function of government" needs to be maintained while a new leader is chosen.

He also says:

• Boris Johnson told cabinet they should focus on the British people and not themselves
• No-one in cabinet knows how long they'll be in post, but he says he'll focus "relentlessly" while he is

• Asked if it's tenable for someone who voiced criticism of Boris Johnson or resigned to become the next prime minister, he says candidates "need to explain what decisions they took in times of difficulty"

Education Secretary James Cleverly rules himself out of the leadership race.

He says he thinks people will be "spoilt for choice" but tells BBC Breakfast "it won't be me".

It's in the interests of the country and the Tory Party to replace Boris Johnson as soon as possible, says the treasurer of the 1922 Committee - the group which will set the timetable for the leadership race.

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown says he's hoping to get the parliamentary party to whittle candidates down to a final two by 21 July, when Parliament goes into recess.

But he tells Radio 4's Today programme people also need time to form a view of the candidates.

He says deputy prime minister Dominic Raab should have ideally been the caretaker prime minister, but "that ship, I think, has sailed".

Image source, .

The leader of the Liberal Democrats has called for the immediate removal of Boris Johnson as caretaker prime minister.

Ed Davey says it is "ludicrous" that Johnson intends to stay in office until a successor is chosen by the autumn.

Speaking to the BBC, he said while he has not done so yet, he would speak to Labour and other opposition parties about calling for a parliamentary confidence vote if the Conservatives did not remove Johnson at once.

Tory MPs who kept Johnson in power "have a heavy burden to bear", he said, adding that they should "take responsibility" and ensure he leaves office today.

Image source, PA Media

We're expected to find out the timetable for the Tory leadership race next week, but the unofficial contest is already well and truly under way.

• Tom Tugendhat, who chairs the foreign affairs committee, launched his leadership bid by writing in the Daily Telegraph, external, promising tax cuts and "new energy and ideas"
• Attorney General Suella Braverman has already confirmed she will stand
• Former Brexit minister Steve Baker said he was "seriously" considering running after being asked by people to do so
• Sajid Javid, the former health secretary, and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps - who both revolted against Boris Johnson - are also considering putting their hats into the ring, the BBC has been told
• Others tipped to run include Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, former Chancellor Rishi Sunak and ex-Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt

Some have already ruled themselves out, including former Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove, Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab and former Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

Read more about the possible candidates here.

Image source, Getty Images

The PM reshuffled his cabinet yesterday after a wave of resignations left roles empty.

Greg Clark was named new levelling up secretary, James Cleverly chosen for education secretary and Robert Buckland returned to the cabinet, as Wales secretary.

Elsewhere, Shailesh Vara became Northern Ireland secretary, Kit Malthouse was appointed chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, and Andrew Stephenson is a new minister without portfolio.

Johnson also moved to fill the raft of more junior positions left by the avalanche of exits.

Among them were Johnny Mercer, who resigned as a defence minister over the treatment of veterans in Northern Ireland in 2021, has returned to government as a Cabinet Office minister with responsibility for veterans.

More here.

See the rest of the front pages here.

Chris Mason
Political editor

It may not surprise you to discover that Westminster is a postcode which doesn't suffer a deficit of ambition.

The wannabes will fight a popularity contest among Tory MPs in the next few weeks, and should two of them be left at the end of that process, Conservative Party members will get the final say over the summer.

Somewhere between 100,000 and 200,000 people will be charged with selecting the next head of our government on our behalf.

But beyond that there will be an intriguing debate about what it means to a Conservative in 2022.

A Conservative in a high tax, high spending era. A Conservative in post-Brexit Britain, where neither main party at Westminster contests the fundamentals of the UK's departure from the EU, but where our relations with our nearest neighbours have not normalised since.

When a new leader assumes office, the political landscape will instantly shift.

Yes, they will have novelty and freshness, at least for a bit. But no electoral mandate to call their own.

And the opposition parties will confront a new opponent. As the Boris Johnson era concludes, so too will be turf upon which the arguments of tomorrow will play out.

More from Chris

Conservative backbencher and former cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell has been talking about what kind of prime minister should come next.

"It is clear to me from talking to colleagues... we need to have a complete break with the Boris years," Mitchell told BBC Radio 4's the World Tonight.

"We need to have a leader who is unsullied, uncontaminated if you like, by the mistakes, particularly in the tone of the government as well as some of its actions.

"It needs to be someone clearly with experience, preferably both domestic experience and of an international department of state because these are very difficult times domestically and internationally.

"Finally, I think it does need to be someone who is patently moral and decent and can win back the vast numbers of Conservatives that we know have deserted the party from recent polling and recent by-elections."

Image source, Getty Images

With the PM resigning yesterday, a further reshuffling of the cabinet and the race to replace Boris Johnson beginning - it has been a hectic few days in politics.

Here is a recap of what's been happening:

• Boris Johnson resigned on Thursday after two days of attempting to cling onto power as nearly 60 MPs quit government roles

• A leadership contest is unofficially under way - with MPs such as Tom Tugendhat and Attorney General Suella Braverman already throwing their names into the hat
• Brexiteer Steve Baker has also said he was "seriously" considering running
• Mr Johnson said he would stay on as caretaker prime minister until a new leader is chosen by the autumn
• However, some Tories have called for the PM to leave immediately including former Prime Minister Sir John Major
• Speaking to his new cabinet, Mr Johnson said "major fiscal decisions" would be left to his successor
• Those tipped to also be considering running include Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, former health secretary Sajid Javid and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss

• A timetable for the leadership race is expected next week, but unofficially the battle has already started

Our latest story is here.

It's been a busy few days in UK politics, culminating in the resignation of Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday.

For a round-up, our latest story is here - or stick with us throughout the day for updates.