Boris Johnson news latest – live: Hunt and Zahawi out of race as Sunak and Mordaunt lead – The Independent

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
Foreign secretary vows to axe tax hike and national insurance rise
Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile
Tory leadership hopeful Penny Mordaunt has been criticised for her support of homeopathy on the NHS.
Homeopathy is a treatment based on using diluted amounts of natural substances, but is not currently funded by the NHS due to its “lack of effectiveness”.
Ms Mordaunt has advocated the practice according to an analysis of her parliamentary record and past comments, and was one of 16 supporters of a motion in the House of Commons criticising the British Medical Association for withdrawing NHS support for homeopathy, in June 2010.
Meanwhile, Liz Truss has pledged that families could receive tax breaks of up to £2,500 to help them take time out of work to look after children or other family members.
Ms Truss has promised a radical overhaul of the taxation system if she gets into Downing Street that would also include ditching green levies on energy bills and reversing an increase to national insurance.
It comes after the five contenders to become the UK’s next prime minister clashed over tax cuts and Boris Johnson’s honesty in a debate on Friday night.
A snap Opinium poll found 36 per cent of viewers believed Tom Tugendhat performed best – while just 10 per cent of Tory voters said the same of Ms Truss.
Sir Tony Blair has issued a rallying call to Western nations to come together to develop a coherent strategy to counter the rise of China as “the world’s second superpower”.
Delivering the annual Ditchley lecture the former prime minister called for a policy towards Beijing of “strength plus engagement” as he warned the era of Western political and economic dominance was coming to an end.
He said Western powers needed to increase their defence spending in order to maintain their military superiority while extending their “soft power” by building ties with developing nations.
On China, Sir Tony said that it had already caught up with the United States in many fields of technology, while President Xi Jinping had made no secret of his ambition to return Taiwan to Beijing’s rule.
At the same time, President Vladimir Putin’s “brutal and unjustified” invasion of Ukraine showed they could no longer automatically expect major world powers to abide by accepted international norms.
“As a result of the actions of Putin, we cannot rely on the Chinese leadership to behave in the way we would consider rational,” he said.
“Don’t misunderstand me. I am not saying in the near term, that China would attempt to take Taiwan by force. But we can’t base our policy on the certainty that it wouldn’t.
“And even leaving to the side Taiwan, the reality is China under Xi’s leadership is competing for influence and doing so aggressively.”
He said Beijing would compete “not just for power but against our system, our way of governing and living” and that the West needed to be strong enough to defend its systems and values.
“The biggest geo-political change of this century will come from China not Russia,” he said.
PA
Boris Johnson is skipping a crisis meeting on the looming life-threatening heatwave to host a party at his luxury Chequers rural retreat.
Ministers and experts are gathering in the Cabinet Office on Saturday afternoon, for a Cobr meeting to prepare for temperatures hitting an unprecedented 40oC on Monday.
But the prime minister will be 30 miles away in Buckinghamshire at a party for friends and family, ahead of being kicked out of his country retreat at the start of September.
Rob Merrick reports.
Prime minister ‘missing in action’ again – after skipping vital Cobr gatherings on Covid at start of premiership
Rishi Sunak has been given a big boost in the Tory leadership race by winning the backing of the figure seen as the party’s ‘Mr North’.
Ben Houchen, the influential Tees Valley mayor, had criticised the failure of the contest to guarantee that Boris Johnson’s pledge to ‘level up’ the country will be carried forward.
Now Mr Houchen is endorsing the former chancellor as “a friend of the North” after securing a commitment to extend devolution deals with possible future freedoms over business rates and post-16 education.
Rob Merrick reports.
Ben Houchen, the influential Tees Valley mayor, had criticised failure of contest to focus on Boris Johnson’s ‘levelling up’ pledge
Social media users have drawn comparisons between Liz Truss’s outfit at the first Tory leadership debate and a look worn by Margarat Thatcher in 1979.
The foreign secretary, who took part in the Channel 4 event on Friday (15 July), opted for a black blazer over a white blouse featuring a bow tie detail across the neck.
Twitter users quickly noted a resemblance to the outfit worn by the former Conservative prime minister during a 1979 election broadcast.
Saman Javed reports.
The former prime minister wore a similar look in 1979
Liz Truss has floated another expensive tax cut if she wins the Tory leadership race, despite criticism that her economic plans are “a fairytale”.
The foreign secretary says she would explore giving parents a tax break of up to £2,500 to help them take time out of work to look after children or other family members.
Rishi Sunak scored a major hit on the right-wing candidate in Friday’s live TV debate when he called for “honesty” over tax reductions until soaring inflation has been tamed.
Rob Merrick reports.
Foreign secretary explores help of up to £2,500 for people off work to look after family members
Boris Johnson’s planned 5% pay rise for millions of public sector workers is insufficient and will not be found “remotely acceptable” by nurses, according to a union.
A Cabinet minister has told the Financial Times the government will agree to pay rises averaging about 5 per cent for the 2.5 million staff in the sector, who include nurses, teachers, police, civil servants and members of the armed forces.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has previously set out the case for a pay rise of 5 per cent above the level of retail price index inflation, which is currently over 11 per cent.
Public support for industrial action over the issue has risen sharply, research suggests
Tory leadership hopeful Liz Truss has pledged that families could receive tax breaks of up to £2,500, as reported by the Daily Mail.
Ms Truss has promised a radical overhaul of the taxation system if she gets into Downing Street that would also include ditching green levies on energy bills and reversing an increase to national insurance.
The foreign secretary also said she would axe the planned increase in corporation tax, which is set to rise from 19 to 25 per cent in 2023.
Scrapping planned hike could cost around £16 billion
Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalism
By registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists
{{#verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}}

By clicking ‘Create my account’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy policy and Terms of service apply.
Already have an account? sign in
By clicking ‘Register’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy policy and Terms of service apply.
Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalism
By registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists
{{#verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}}

By clicking ‘Create my account’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy policy and Terms of service apply.
Already have an account? sign in
By clicking ‘Register’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy policy and Terms of service apply.
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Shutterstock
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
Log in
New to The Independent?
Or if you would prefer:
Want an ad-free experience?

source

Leave a Comment