Johnson sticks firm on pledge to build 40 hospitals
Referencing one the Conservatives' flagship manifesto pledges from 2019, Boris Johnson gestures towards the Labour benches and says: "They constantly say we're not going to build 40 new hospitals... well I can tell you that we are."
He says they'll be done by 2030, and there will be "measurable improvement" by 2024.
Fabricant tells Tories they 'made a mistake' getting rid of Johnson
BBCCopyright: BBC
Tory backbencher Michael Fabricant says: "I personally think our party is making the same mistake the party opposite made when they knifed Tony Blair."
The MP for Lichfield praises Johnson's vaccination programme, saying it saved lives.
We never gave up in the pandemic - Johnson
Continuing to run through his time as prime minister, Boris Johnson says the government "never gave up" in the pandemic, "wave after wave".
"We protected our NHS, we saved thousands of lives, and we were finally rescued by the genius of British scientists," he says, adding that the vaccine was licensed faster than any vaccine in the world.
He says the UK vaccinated so fast that it came out of lockdown faster than any other European country.
"And when I look at that achievement Mr Speaker, I tell you, I have confidence in this government and in what it can do."
Johnson: 'It will never be forgotten how Labour tried to overturn the will of the people'
BBCCopyright: BBC
Defending having "delivered Brexit", Boris Johnson attacks the Labour party for trying 48 times to "overturn the will of the people".
Reassuring Tory MPs "your place in history is secure" he tells the opposition their attempts to overturn Brexit "will be remembered in the history of this country".
Johnson: No idea why Labour wanted confidence vote today
Boris Johnson begins by saying he has "no idea" why Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has insisted there is a confidence motion today, when they could be discussing their online harms legislation or the Northern Ireland Protocol.
The Speaker cuts in to say it was in fact the government that called for the motion to be discussed today, after it refused to accept the wording of a Labour motion.
Commons debate on confidence vote starts
Over in the House of Commons, a debate has started on the confidence motion, which the government has tabled in itself.
The controversial move came after the Tories refused to accept
the wording of a similar Labour motion.
Boris Johnson is at the despatch box and is about to open the
debate with what's expected to be a defence of his government, setting out its
major achievements.
Tugendhat won't pull out of race
EPA/ITVCopyright: EPA/ITV
Tom Tugendhat in the ITV debateImage caption: Tom Tugendhat in the ITV debate
Tom Tugendhat has said he will not withdraw from the Tory
leadership race, despite trailing behind rivals ahead of tonight's vote by MPs.
He told fellow Conservative MPs "some colleagues have
suggested that I should step aside, that I should fall in behind someone else,
that I've run a good campaign and can leave with my head held high".
"Some have suggested I could leave with a job as well,"
he said, but insisted "it is not for me to make that decision - it is for
you".
"Were I to withdraw now then somebody else would be
eliminated tonight without the opportunity to make their case further.”
He also condemned what he saw as the contest's "infighting,
the sniping, the blue on blue, the attacks and the smears". "We do
not need this, now or ever."
IMF warns UK against tax cuts
A
senior official at the International Monetary Fund has warned against promising
tax cuts – an issue central to the Conservative leadership contest.
"I
think debt-financed tax cuts at this point would be a mistake," said Mark
Flanagan, head of the IMF’s UK team.
He said tax cuts now could be misguided and might even boost
inflation by strengthening spending.
The former chancellor, Rishi Sunak, came under fire from rivals Liz
Truss and Penny Mordaunt in the TV debates for arguing against tax cuts. Sunak insisted
the priority must be to tackle inflation, and pressed them on how they would
fund tax cuts.
Mark Flanagan told BBC News that the UK’s tax ratio relative to the
size of the economy was below-average compared with other
advanced economies.
"At some point you have to decide, do we
want to invest in the climate transition? Do we want to invest in
digitalisation? Do we want to invest in skills for the public. Well, if you do
you need the resources to do it. And the way to realise those resources is to
lift the tax ratio a little bit," he said.
Johnson 'to set out achievements' before confidence vote
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
A little later, Boris Johnson will open the Commons
debate ahead of a confidence vote in his government. He will "set out some of
the achievements of the government," his spokesman has said.
Unusually the government itself
called the vote, after refusing to accept the wording of a Labour motion expressing
no confidence.
A defeat in the vote would probably
trigger an early general election, but that is not expected, despite anger at
Boris Johnson, who is now in a caretaker role while the party chooses a new
leader. He is set to stand down in September.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer
pointed out that none of the contenders to succeed Johnson said they would have
him in their cabinet, when asked in Sunday's debate on ITV.
"Tonight, he's asking them
to go into voting lobbies to vote confidence in him continuing as prime minister,
so this is getting farcical," Starmer said.
But he added that the government "is
likely to be propped up again this afternoon in that debate".
Conservatives in deep trouble, former donor says
Most MPs and commentators don't realise what deep trouble the Conservative Party is in, a former Tory donor warns.
Using slightly more vivid language than that, John Armitage says people are "fed up with a regime which tolerated a dishonourable, bad prime minister for a long time".
Armitage has given more than £3m to the Conservatives, but stopped in February when he called for Boris Johnson to resign over Partygate.
He tells BBC Radio 4's World At One the public is fed up with "policy by press release" and he wants a leader who "will actually do something and isn't guided by opinion polls".
The hedge fund boss is hoping Kemi Badenoch will win as she's "not associated with the old regime" and comes across as "genuine".
"There's something very slick and superficial about the campaigns of many of these aspiring prime ministers," he says.
But Armitage, who has previously described himself as a "middle-of-the-road conservative", says he will not offer funding to any leadership candidates.
Would he donate to the Conservatives again? He says he'll wait to see if the party addresses any of the country's major problems "in a coherent, serious way".
Sunak 'may not pick up many votes tonight'
Nick Eardley
Political correspondent
We've just been hearing from a Rishi Sunak supporting MP who
was listening to his pitch in the room.
This MP thinks Sunak is unlikely to pick up many votes
tonight - because few if any of Suella Braverman’s supporters will move to
backing Sunak.
This ally of the former chancellor said his campaign remained cautiously
optimistic about his chances - but said they weren’t being complacent.
After last night’s bruising TV debate, this MP backed the
idea of more debates happening when it gets down to the final two.
They seemed
hopeful it would be better natured at that stage because the remaining
candidates would be thinking a lot more about what comes after the contest -
and the need to govern.
Tory MPs quiz leader hopefuls - but have they made up their minds already?
Nick Eardley
Political correspondent
The leadership candidates are being through their paces
in Parliament again this afternoon.
Tory MPs are getting the chance to quiz
them all behind closed doors before tonight's round of voting.
So far Penny Mordaunt and Rishi Sunak have been in.
But
it seems like a lot of Tory MPs have already made their minds up.
One MP who
was in the room said there were only 30 others there. As ever with these
events, quite a few of them will be there to support their candidate.
Oh and
it’s quite hot in the committee corridor.
What the rest of the race looks like
In the next few days, Tory MPs will whittle down the candidates in
rounds of voting – leaving two by Wednesday. Conservative Party will then
decide which one becomes the next leader and PM.
Today – Third round of voting by MPs with results at 20:00 BST.
Tuesday 19 July – Fourth round of voting by MPs. A Sky News
debate has been cancelled after Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss dropped out.
Wednesday 20 July – Final round of voting takes place, leaving
two rivals to go head-to-head for the top job.
Hustings for members of the Conservative Party will then be held around
the country – starting from Friday 22 July.
The winner will be
announced on Monday 5 September after a postal ballot,
completed by less than 200,000 Tory party members.
Analysis
Last push for hopefuls before third round of voting
Jonathan Blake
Political correspondent
There's a concern among Conservatives - after those brutal exchanges in last night's TV debate - that this leadership contest needs to cool off if it's to avoid descending into acrimonious infighting.
As we already know, there won't now be another televised debate tomorrow, after Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss declined to take part - and that's left Labour accusing the candidates of shying away from scrutiny.
This is not a public contest, though, it is a contest among Conservative MPs, at this stage - and then it's up to Conservative Party members to choose their new leader.
And that's why, for some, they may feel a mismatch between what the candidates are talking about, and focusing on, and what the public's priorities might be.
But the candidates will appeal to those whose votes they need - Conservative MPs - in another round of hustings today before they cast their votes again tonight to narrow the field down further.
We'll know at 20:00 BST who leaves the race and who is left, when five become four and the contest continues.
About last night...
Video content
Video caption: Watch: The candidates step up their attacksWatch: The candidates step up their attacks
Some of the fiercest clashes came between Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss over how to grow the economy while dealing with a cost of living crisis.
Truss told Sunak that tax rises he introduced when chancellor would "choke off" growth
He hit back blaming the pandemic and accused Truss of peddling "something-for-nothing economics" in her campaign
Penny Mordaunt chipped in to say the limited tax cuts she advocated were not inflationary and people need help now with the cost of living
Sunak accused her of having a "dangerous" plan to scrap his economic rule of only borrowing to invest
Mordaunt and Kemi Badenoch, who've both served as equalities minister, came to blows about Mordaunt's record on self-identification for transgender people.
Badenoch again insisted that while in the job her rival supported self-ID - allowing people to legally change their gender without requiring medical approval - but Mordaunt denied this, again
Asked if any candidate would give Boris Johnson a cabinet position, nobody raised their hand
Sunak defended his wife Akshata's previous non-domiciled tax status and her family's wealth
When asked if they would sit next to Russia President Vladimir Putin at a G20 summit, all but Truss said they would not
All candidates said they would back the UK's commitment to curb carbon emissions to net zero by 2050
Cabinet minister Trevelyan attacks Mordaunt
PA MediaCopyright: PA Media
Penny Mordaunt is seen as a frontrunner in the contestImage caption: Penny Mordaunt is seen as a frontrunner in the contest
International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan has attacked
leadership hopeful Penny Mordaunt, saying her ministerial colleague was absent
at key times and left others to "pick up the pieces".
Trevelyan told LBC news: "I think a number of candidates
have spent a number of months preparing their campaigns, yes.
"So there have been a number of times when she [Mordaunt]
hasn't been available which would have been useful and other ministers have
picked up the pieces, yes."
Cabinet minister Trevelyan is Mordaunt’s boss and is backing Tom
Tugendhat for the leadership.
Starmer: Pulling out of debate doesn't inspire confidence
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer says he's
"astonished" Tory leadership candidates Rishi Sunak and Liz
Truss have pulled out of a TV debate.
Based on what he's seen in the debates so far, he says he isn't
surprised. But he adds: "Pulling out of a TV debate when you want to be
prime minister doesn't show very much confidence."
Questioning how candidates can expect to avoid scrutiny in a leadership
contest, Sir Keir says Britons, "particularly with the heatwave today...
want a government that's focused on the day job, that's getting on with
resilience for today and tomorrow".
Sunak, the former
chancellor, and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss confirmed earlier they wouldn't
take part in a Sky News debate planned for tomorrow, prompting the broadcaster
to cancel the show.
PA MediaCopyright: PA Media
The Labour leader spoke to reporters after joining NatWest boss Alison Rose to meet a group of young entrepreneurs and business ownersImage caption: The Labour leader spoke to reporters after joining NatWest boss Alison Rose to meet a group of young entrepreneurs and business owners
Who is the bookies' favourite?
David Brown
Visual Journalism Team
There's been another shift in the betting odds on the candidates.
Here's how they
look now:
.Copyright: .
Rishi Sunak, who had fallen behind Penny Mordaunt in the betting, is now back in front.
Mordaunt remains in second place, but Liz Truss appears to be gaining ground.
Kemi Badenoch and Tom Tugendhat are still trailing.
Mordaunt urges media scrutiny to continue after debate axed
Penny Mordaunt's campaign team has stressed the need for media scrutiny, reacting to the cancellation of the Sky News debate.
"Media scrutiny is important in this contest. Penny has done broadcast and allowed time for journalists to ask questions at her launch," a source in her campaign said.
"MPs aren't just picking a new leader, but picking the nation's new PM. Penny hopes there will be ample opportunity for such scrutiny later in the contest in a format that allows detailed questions and insights."
Coming up today
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
The government is holding a confidence vote in itself, after blocking a similar attempt by Labour. It's not expected to lose though. MPs will start debating the issue around 15:30, with a vote in the evening from around 22:00.
The main event today is the third round
of voting – by Tory MPs – which will whittle the five Tory leadership candidates down
to four.
The vote itself is scheduled to take place 17:00 - 19:00. The person with the fewest votes is eliminated from the
contest and will then have to decide which of their rivals to support instead.
It’s common practice that at least some – if not all – of a former candidate’s
backers will be guided by their decision, which could prove vital as we edge
closer to the final run-off of two candidates.
Rishi Sunak is still expected to
secure a spot on that final shortlist but who'll join him is less certain.
Penny Mordaunt had the second highest number
of votes from Tory MPs at the end of last week, and Liz Truss was in third place. But after two brutal televised debates it’s unclear who MPs will pledge their allegiance
to.
Live Reporting
Edited by Jeremy Gahagan
All times stated are UK
Get involved
Johnson sticks firm on pledge to build 40 hospitals
Referencing one the Conservatives' flagship manifesto pledges from 2019, Boris Johnson gestures towards the Labour benches and says: "They constantly say we're not going to build 40 new hospitals... well I can tell you that we are."
He says they'll be done by 2030, and there will be "measurable improvement" by 2024.
Fabricant tells Tories they 'made a mistake' getting rid of Johnson
Tory backbencher Michael Fabricant says: "I personally think our party is making the same mistake the party opposite made when they knifed Tony Blair."
The MP for Lichfield praises Johnson's vaccination programme, saying it saved lives.
We never gave up in the pandemic - Johnson
Continuing to run through his time as prime minister, Boris Johnson says the government "never gave up" in the pandemic, "wave after wave".
"We protected our NHS, we saved thousands of lives, and we were finally rescued by the genius of British scientists," he says, adding that the vaccine was licensed faster than any vaccine in the world.
He says the UK vaccinated so fast that it came out of lockdown faster than any other European country.
"And when I look at that achievement Mr Speaker, I tell you, I have confidence in this government and in what it can do."
Johnson: 'It will never be forgotten how Labour tried to overturn the will of the people'
Defending having "delivered Brexit", Boris Johnson attacks the Labour party for trying 48 times to "overturn the will of the people".
Reassuring Tory MPs "your place in history is secure" he tells the opposition their attempts to overturn Brexit "will be remembered in the history of this country".
Johnson: No idea why Labour wanted confidence vote today
Boris Johnson begins by saying he has "no idea" why Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has insisted there is a confidence motion today, when they could be discussing their online harms legislation or the Northern Ireland Protocol.
The Speaker cuts in to say it was in fact the government that called for the motion to be discussed today, after it refused to accept the wording of a Labour motion.
Commons debate on confidence vote starts
Over in the House of Commons, a debate has started on the confidence motion, which the government has tabled in itself.
The controversial move came after the Tories refused to accept the wording of a similar Labour motion.
Boris Johnson is at the despatch box and is about to open the debate with what's expected to be a defence of his government, setting out its major achievements.
Tugendhat won't pull out of race
Tom Tugendhat has said he will not withdraw from the Tory leadership race, despite trailing behind rivals ahead of tonight's vote by MPs.
He told fellow Conservative MPs "some colleagues have suggested that I should step aside, that I should fall in behind someone else, that I've run a good campaign and can leave with my head held high".
"Some have suggested I could leave with a job as well," he said, but insisted "it is not for me to make that decision - it is for you".
"Were I to withdraw now then somebody else would be eliminated tonight without the opportunity to make their case further.”
He also condemned what he saw as the contest's "infighting, the sniping, the blue on blue, the attacks and the smears". "We do not need this, now or ever."
IMF warns UK against tax cuts
A senior official at the International Monetary Fund has warned against promising tax cuts – an issue central to the Conservative leadership contest.
"I think debt-financed tax cuts at this point would be a mistake," said Mark Flanagan, head of the IMF’s UK team.
He said tax cuts now could be misguided and might even boost inflation by strengthening spending.
The former chancellor, Rishi Sunak, came under fire from rivals Liz Truss and Penny Mordaunt in the TV debates for arguing against tax cuts. Sunak insisted the priority must be to tackle inflation, and pressed them on how they would fund tax cuts.
Mark Flanagan told BBC News that the UK’s tax ratio relative to the size of the economy was below-average compared with other advanced economies.
"At some point you have to decide, do we want to invest in the climate transition? Do we want to invest in digitalisation? Do we want to invest in skills for the public. Well, if you do you need the resources to do it. And the way to realise those resources is to lift the tax ratio a little bit," he said.
You can read more analysis on this here.
Johnson 'to set out achievements' before confidence vote
A little later, Boris Johnson will open the Commons debate ahead of a confidence vote in his government. He will "set out some of the achievements of the government," his spokesman has said.
Unusually the government itself called the vote, after refusing to accept the wording of a Labour motion expressing no confidence.
A defeat in the vote would probably trigger an early general election, but that is not expected, despite anger at Boris Johnson, who is now in a caretaker role while the party chooses a new leader. He is set to stand down in September.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer pointed out that none of the contenders to succeed Johnson said they would have him in their cabinet, when asked in Sunday's debate on ITV.
"Tonight, he's asking them to go into voting lobbies to vote confidence in him continuing as prime minister, so this is getting farcical," Starmer said.
But he added that the government "is likely to be propped up again this afternoon in that debate".
Conservatives in deep trouble, former donor says
Most MPs and commentators don't realise what deep trouble the Conservative Party is in, a former Tory donor warns.
Using slightly more vivid language than that, John Armitage says people are "fed up with a regime which tolerated a dishonourable, bad prime minister for a long time".
Armitage has given more than £3m to the Conservatives, but stopped in February when he called for Boris Johnson to resign over Partygate.
He tells BBC Radio 4's World At One the public is fed up with "policy by press release" and he wants a leader who "will actually do something and isn't guided by opinion polls".
The hedge fund boss is hoping Kemi Badenoch will win as she's "not associated with the old regime" and comes across as "genuine".
"There's something very slick and superficial about the campaigns of many of these aspiring prime ministers," he says.
But Armitage, who has previously described himself as a "middle-of-the-road conservative", says he will not offer funding to any leadership candidates.
Would he donate to the Conservatives again? He says he'll wait to see if the party addresses any of the country's major problems "in a coherent, serious way".
Sunak 'may not pick up many votes tonight'
Nick Eardley
Political correspondent
We've just been hearing from a Rishi Sunak supporting MP who was listening to his pitch in the room.
This MP thinks Sunak is unlikely to pick up many votes tonight - because few if any of Suella Braverman’s supporters will move to backing Sunak.
This ally of the former chancellor said his campaign remained cautiously optimistic about his chances - but said they weren’t being complacent.
After last night’s bruising TV debate, this MP backed the idea of more debates happening when it gets down to the final two.
They seemed hopeful it would be better natured at that stage because the remaining candidates would be thinking a lot more about what comes after the contest - and the need to govern.
Tory MPs quiz leader hopefuls - but have they made up their minds already?
Nick Eardley
Political correspondent
The leadership candidates are being through their paces in Parliament again this afternoon.
Tory MPs are getting the chance to quiz them all behind closed doors before tonight's round of voting.
So far Penny Mordaunt and Rishi Sunak have been in.
But it seems like a lot of Tory MPs have already made their minds up.
One MP who was in the room said there were only 30 others there. As ever with these events, quite a few of them will be there to support their candidate.
Oh and it’s quite hot in the committee corridor.
What the rest of the race looks like
In the next few days, Tory MPs will whittle down the candidates in rounds of voting – leaving two by Wednesday. Conservative Party will then decide which one becomes the next leader and PM.
Today – Third round of voting by MPs with results at 20:00 BST.
Tuesday 19 July – Fourth round of voting by MPs. A Sky News debate has been cancelled after Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss dropped out.
Wednesday 20 July – Final round of voting takes place, leaving two rivals to go head-to-head for the top job.
Hustings for members of the Conservative Party will then be held around the country – starting from Friday 22 July.
The winner will be announced on Monday 5 September after a postal ballot, completed by less than 200,000 Tory party members.
Last push for hopefuls before third round of voting
Jonathan Blake
Political correspondent
There's a concern among Conservatives - after those brutal exchanges in last night's TV debate - that this leadership contest needs to cool off if it's to avoid descending into acrimonious infighting.
As we already know, there won't now be another televised debate tomorrow, after Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss declined to take part - and that's left Labour accusing the candidates of shying away from scrutiny.
This is not a public contest, though, it is a contest among Conservative MPs, at this stage - and then it's up to Conservative Party members to choose their new leader.
And that's why, for some, they may feel a mismatch between what the candidates are talking about, and focusing on, and what the public's priorities might be.
But the candidates will appeal to those whose votes they need - Conservative MPs - in another round of hustings today before they cast their votes again tonight to narrow the field down further.
We'll know at 20:00 BST who leaves the race and who is left, when five become four and the contest continues.
About last night...
Video content
With tomorrow's Sky News leadership debate cancelled - amid concerns in the Tory party about infighting - let's take a look what happened during last night's ITV event.
Some of the fiercest clashes came between Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss over how to grow the economy while dealing with a cost of living crisis.
Mordaunt and Kemi Badenoch, who've both served as equalities minister, came to blows about Mordaunt's record on self-identification for transgender people.
Other key moments included:
Cabinet minister Trevelyan attacks Mordaunt
International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan has attacked leadership hopeful Penny Mordaunt, saying her ministerial colleague was absent at key times and left others to "pick up the pieces".
Trevelyan told LBC news: "I think a number of candidates have spent a number of months preparing their campaigns, yes.
"So there have been a number of times when she [Mordaunt] hasn't been available which would have been useful and other ministers have picked up the pieces, yes."
Cabinet minister Trevelyan is Mordaunt’s boss and is backing Tom Tugendhat for the leadership.
Starmer: Pulling out of debate doesn't inspire confidence
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer says he's "astonished" Tory leadership candidates Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss have pulled out of a TV debate.
Based on what he's seen in the debates so far, he says he isn't surprised. But he adds: "Pulling out of a TV debate when you want to be prime minister doesn't show very much confidence."
Questioning how candidates can expect to avoid scrutiny in a leadership contest, Sir Keir says Britons, "particularly with the heatwave today... want a government that's focused on the day job, that's getting on with resilience for today and tomorrow".
Sunak, the former chancellor, and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss confirmed earlier they wouldn't take part in a Sky News debate planned for tomorrow, prompting the broadcaster to cancel the show.
Who is the bookies' favourite?
David Brown
Visual Journalism Team
There's been another shift in the betting odds on the candidates.
Here's how they look now:
Rishi Sunak, who had fallen behind Penny Mordaunt in the betting, is now back in front.
Mordaunt remains in second place, but Liz Truss appears to be gaining ground.
Kemi Badenoch and Tom Tugendhat are still trailing.
Mordaunt urges media scrutiny to continue after debate axed
Penny Mordaunt's campaign team has stressed the need for media scrutiny, reacting to the cancellation of the Sky News debate.
"Media scrutiny is important in this contest. Penny has done broadcast and allowed time for journalists to ask questions at her launch," a source in her campaign said.
"MPs aren't just picking a new leader, but picking the nation's new PM. Penny hopes there will be ample opportunity for such scrutiny later in the contest in a format that allows detailed questions and insights."
Coming up today
The government is holding a confidence vote in itself, after blocking a similar attempt by Labour. It's not expected to lose though. MPs will start debating the issue around 15:30, with a vote in the evening from around 22:00.
The main event today is the third round of voting – by Tory MPs – which will whittle the five Tory leadership candidates down to four.
The vote itself is scheduled to take place 17:00 - 19:00. The person with the fewest votes is eliminated from the contest and will then have to decide which of their rivals to support instead. It’s common practice that at least some – if not all – of a former candidate’s backers will be guided by their decision, which could prove vital as we edge closer to the final run-off of two candidates.
Rishi Sunak is still expected to secure a spot on that final shortlist but who'll join him is less certain.
Penny Mordaunt had the second highest number of votes from Tory MPs at the end of last week, and Liz Truss was in third place. But after two brutal televised debates it’s unclear who MPs will pledge their allegiance to.
The result of the vote is expected at 20:00.