James Gregory

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Liz Truss will now be able to claim the £115,000 a year she's entitled to after resigning as prime minister.

All former prime ministers are entitled to the allowance, external, which they can use for any costs that arise as a result of public duties.

But the Labour leader said she's "not earned the right" to the entitlement, and the Lib Dems say she shouldn't claim the money.

The Public Duty Costs Allowance was set up by former Tory prime minister John Major in March 1991 in the wake of Margaret Thatcher's resignation.

It was introduced to assist former prime ministers still active in private life, paying for things like office costs or travel to events where they're appearing as an ex-PM.

The current limit on what they are able to draw is set at £115,000 and has been frozen since 2011.

Former PMs have not always claimed the full amount, and it's not paid automatically, so they have to provide receipts.

Read more here.

Let's get a bit more about why Ben Wallace is "leaning towards" supporting Boris Johnson to return as prime minister.

The defence secretary explains Johnson won "a huge majority" in the 2019 election and that he was "legitimately sent into Parliament as the prime minister based on the vote of the whole electorate".

"He got a mandate and I think that's an important thing for all of us to bear in mind," he adds.

A decision on whether to go ahead with the chancellor's medium-term fiscal plan on 31 October - where the government will set out more detail on its tax and spending plans - will be for the next prime minister, Downing Street has said.

In her resignation speech yesterday, Liz Truss said a contest to find her successor as Tory Party leader "will ensure that we remain on a path to deliver our fiscal plan and maintain our country's economic stability and national security".

The party will choose a new leader next week, a timeline designed in part to have a new prime minister in place in time for the scheduled event on 31 October.

"Major fiscal decisions will be for the next prime minister," a Downing Street spokeswoman said.

"We are working in preparation for the 31st. Obviously a decision for proceeding on that will be for the next prime minister."

But while Wallace says he is "leaning" towards backing Boris Johnson at the moment, the defence secretary says the former prime minister "will still have some questions to answer" about a parliamentary investigation into his conduct.

Johnson is still under investigation by the Commons Privileges Committee over whether he misled MPs over Covid rule breaking - and could face suspension or even lose his seat if it rules against him.

Wallace says despite the questions, Johnson "invested in defence, he supported me, he supported the actions this country has taken to keep us safe".

He adds he wants the party to "settle down", and he hopes Jeremy Hunt will stay on as chancellor, and that he will remain in his defence role under the UK's next prime minister.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has ruled himself out of the Tory leadership race and says he would "lean towards" supporting Boris Johnson at the moment.

Wallace says there are other candidates who are "just as excellent" to consider with a few days to go, and says he's keen to hear what former Chancellor Rishi Sunak has to say on defence. Sunak hasn't said whether he's standing yet but is widely expected to join the race and is considered one of the frontrunners.

Earlier, Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg became the first cabinet minister to publicly back Johnson, who has not yet confirmed whether he will enter the leadership race.

More now on Labour's Christian Matheson, who has resigned as an MP after a parliamentary watchdog recommended he be suspended for serious sexual misconduct.

Labour suspended him from the parliamentary party and asked him to step down as MP after two allegations of sexual misconduct were upheld against him.

A parliamentary watchdog had recommended he be suspended from the Commons for four weeks.

In a statement online, Matheson said his suspension from the Commons was "an excessive and unfair penalty".

He added he was "dismayed that I have been found guilty of several allegations that I know to be untrue".

A Labour spokesman said it was an "incredibly serious" case and the party had acted immediately after the findings.

A by-election will now be held in his City of Chester constituency.

Labour's shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves has reiterated calls for a general election as "the only way we'll have a government with a mandate".

Speaking to the BBC a little earlier, she said: "No 10 and No 11 Downing Street aren't like some short-term Airbnb where you can rock up for a few months and cause a load of damage, and then pass it on to the next one."

Watch what she had to say below:

Hundreds of listeners have been getting in touch with BBC 5Live this morning to share their views, and they've had one name on their lips. But they are strongly divided over the possibility of a comeback by Boris Johnson.

"When I heard that Boris Johnson may be putting his hat back in the ring, I was thrilled," said Karen in Scarborough. "I think he is a great leader, and everyone bleats on about party-gate, but he's got the balls to stand up to Putin and I have faith in him."

Jenny in Wootton also believes the former PM should be given a second chance, saying: "He is the only one who got the mandate from the public... If they go for an election without him - they'll lose.”

But Lynn in St Helens was among those expressing outrage at the suggestion of comeback.

"Since all this upset in the Conservative Party over the last few weeks, where has he been?" she said. "He's been nowhere to be seen. He's in the Caribbean living it up because he can afford to.

"Because the likes of him can afford to just step away from the reality of the mess that they have made and they can just live their lives, they can just decide what it is that they want to do."

Rob from Bangor said the country and Conservative Party needed a PM to solve its problems. "Someone with a bit of integrity and principle, and unfortunately Boris Johnson has proved through his actions and behaviour that he's not that guy."

If you want to join in the conversation text 85058 or send a voice note to 08085 909 693

Image source, Rob

David Brown
BBC News Visual Journalism Team

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson is now the second favourite to become the next Conservative leader and prime minister, according to bookmakers.

Bookmakers estimate Johnson to have a 23% chance of winning, compared to 8% two days ago.

But the oddsmakers still believe former Chancellor Rishi Sunak is a significant favourite on 57%.

House of Commons leader Penny Mordaunt's chances have dipped, while cabinet ministers Ben Wallace and Kemi Badenoch are on 2% and 1% respectively.

Image source, .

There will be a hustings on Monday to help MPs decide who to back in the leadership race, the chair of the 1922 committee of backbench Tory MPs Graham Brady says.

The first ballot of MPs will be held later on Monday - if there are three candidates with more than 100 backers, the loser will be eliminated.

Once there are two candidates remaining, an indicative vote will be held so the party membership know who is the preferred successor among MPs before they have their say.

Take a look at the leadership process in full below:

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Some breaking news from Westminster now.

Labour MP Christian Matheson should be suspended from Commons for four weeks for "serious sexual misconduct", a parliamentary watchdog has said.

The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards upheld two allegations of sexual misconduct against Matheson by a former member of his staff.

If he is suspended for four weeks, a recall petition will be opened in his constituency of City of Chester.

If 10% of the electorate sign the petition within six weeks, the seat will be declared vacant and a by-election held.

Read our full story here.

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As Conservative MPs weigh up who is best to lead their party, one believes former leadership hopeful Penny Mordaunt is the best person for the job.

A self-described "enthusiastic" supporter of Mordaunt during the last Tory leadership contest in which she came third, Conservative MP John Lamont told BBC Radio 5 Live he knows Mordaunt has been speaking to colleagues in the last few hours and hopes she will put herself forward as a candidate again.

He believes Mordaunt will "unite not just the party, but crucially the wider country beyond the bubble of Westminster".

He added that his constituents in Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk, near the Scottish border, say they like the prospect of Mordaunt as the country's leader and say she is easy to relate to.

"They like Penny, they like the way she speaks in the House of Commons, they like the way she takes on Labour and the SNP... but also she can relate to ordinary folk. She's got a very normal background."

Image source, Reuters

We're expecting to hear from Defence Secretary Ben Wallace in the next 15 minutes or so, amid speculation about whether he intends to enter the Tory leadership race.

Wallace did not stand in the last leadership contest over the summer, despite being one of the bookies' early favourites to succeed Boris Johnson.

He's seen in some quarters as a candidate who can potentially bring together the opposing factions of the party.

Wallace stayed loyal to Johnson until the end of his premiership - he didn't join the host of other resigning ministers in July and argued that cabinet ministers had an "obligation" to stay in post.

Instead, he chose to focus on his job as defence secretary - "keeping this great country safe".

He eventually backed Truss, describing her as "authentic".

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Boris Johnson's father has been asked about his son's political future - but refused to say if he'll make a comeback and contest the Tory leadership contest.

Johnson - who left Downing Street just 45 days ago after his support collapsed in the wake of a series of scandals - has not declared his intention to enter the race but has already received early backing from some MPs.

Speaking to ITV's Good Morning Britain earlier, Stanley Johnson was asked: "Is his head in a place where you can see him coming back?"

"I think he's on a plane, as I understand it, coming back. I think he is coming back from wherever he is," he replied, amid speculation Johnson was returning from a holiday in the Caribbean.

Last night, Boris Johnson's sister Rachel also told BBC Question Time she didn't know if he would run.

The former PM is still under investigation by a Commons committee over whether he misled Parliament - and could face suspension or even lose his seat if they find against him.

Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg has become the first cabinet minister to offer their support for Boris Johnson in the leadership contest.

Rees-Mogg has long been a staunch backer of Johnson's, most recently serving as his minister for Brexit opportunities before taking up a role in Truss's cabinet.

In July, the MP for North East Somerset said the huge wave of ministerial resignations which eventually pushed Johnson out had been "orchestrated" and "coordinated".

While none of the potential candidates to succeed Liz Truss have officially announced their bids, we're starting to get an idea of the level of support for the possible frontrunners.

Here is our list so far of how many MPs have backed rumoured contenders:

• Rishi Sunak : 44
• Boris Johnson: 23
• Penny Mordaunt: 16

This is based on Conservative MPs telling the BBC who they’re backing, or publicly declaring for a potential candidate, as compiled by the BBC.

We'll bring you updates on the numbers as we get them as the picture may well change rapidly throughout the day and over the weekend. Meanwhile, other names being floated are former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, International Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.

Candidates need the support of at least 100 MPs by 14:00 on Monday - a much higher threshold than the last leadership race.

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Ukraine's media has given ample coverage to Liz Truss's resignation, saying that the "positive side" of the turmoil was that she might be succeeded by Boris Johnson, who is immensely popular in Ukraine.

Many on social media rejoiced at the prospect, referring to him by the Ukrainianised name "Johnsonyuk", as he is affectionately known in the country.

MP Leonid Yemets wrote: "Boris Johnson is coming back! Just like Churchill in his day! Fingers crossed," while a journalist said: "I was convinced that everyone would regret Johnsonyuk's departure. And... this is exactly what happened."

Johnson visited Ukraine several times since Russia invaded in February.

Notably, he flew to Ukraine to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky during a surprise trip in June after pulling out of a conference for northern Tory MPs at the last minute. He also visited Kyiv in August, less than two weeks before leaving office.

Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who contested the last Tory leadership race over the summer, has just been asked by reporters if she plans to enter the fray this time around.

"I'm making a statement in due course," she tells journalists outside her home.

Braverman, who is seen as being on the right of the party, resigned from Truss's cabinet on Wednesday.

Ostensibly, she resigned for using a personal email to send a sensitive document - but she blasted Truss over immigration policy in her resignation letter.

Image source, Reuters

As rumours of a Boris Johnson comeback swirl, let's cast our minds back to just over three months ago, when he resigned.

Johnson was ousted from office after months of revelations and apologies over Partygate, which saw the prime minister fined for breaking the law, and various other MPs and aides accused of holding parties in official buildings during various Covid lockdowns.

Johnson was fined by police for breaking lockdown rules after he went to a gathering on his birthday, and he apologised for going to a bring-your-own-booze party in the Downing Street garden during the first lockdown. The then chancellor Rishi Sunak was also fined.

Johnson was then accused of misleading MPs in the House of Commons about Partygate. He is still under investigation by a Commons committee over those claims. He could face suspension from the Commons or even lose his seat if he's found to have been in contempt of Parliament.

In June, Johnson was forced to apologise after it emerged that he'd appointed Chris Pincher MP to a government role after being told about a misconduct complaint against him. Downing Street first claimed Johnson was not aware of "specific allegations" - this was untrue, and the PM later admitted being told about a complaint in 2019. Many saw this error of judgement as the final nail in Johnson's political coffin.

The saga triggered an avalanche of government resignations, which ultimately led to his downfall.

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While MPs in her party are now gearing up for another leadership race and discussing who to back, outgoing Prime Minister Liz Truss was pictured this morning returning to Downing Street after a jog.

Less than 24 hours ago, she dramatically announced her resignation as prime minister outside 10 Downing Street, making her the shortest-serving PM in UK history.